More than a fifth of organophosphate use by pounds in California is concentrated in Monterey County
On May 12, 2026, members of the public and the coalition Safe Ag Safe Schools provided detailed information to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors about very high toxic pesticide use by the ag industry in Monterey County, school and neighborhood exposures, contamination of farmworkers, children, and the communities including Salinas, the cancer risk, and inaction by county Agriculture Commissioner Juan Hidalgo. This follows Safe Ag Safe Schools’s April 30 letter to Hidalgo about the organophosphate and fumigant threats (excerpts below).
Video of the hearing:
https://monterey.granicus.com/player/clip/6128?view_id=21&redirect=true
Public comments begin at 1:00:35, comments on pesticides begin at 1:07:22 (transcript of comments by Beverly Bean is below)
Monterey Bay Matters 