About a hundred farm workers and activists held a demonstration at the state capitol Tuesday to protest a strawberry pesticide they believe is dangerous. Methyl iodide is a fumigant which was made legal for use in California in the waning days of the Schwarzenegger administration. Democratic Assemblyman William Monning said there is enough evidence for Governor Jerry Brown to reverse that decision.
"In my view this isn’t even a close call," Monning said. "We had people in the Department of Pesticide Regulation who left their positions after their recommendations were ignored. The state of California retained an independent peer review committee who unanimously concluded that this was one of the most deadly chemicals on the planet. And they did not have the confidence that it could be employed safely in California."
Monning said in a private conversation he had with Governor Brown, the governor indicated he was open to taking a fresh look at Methyl Iodide.
