Spraying to kill mosquitoes in Santa Ana has been delayed and will not take place this Monday morning, according to Santa Ana’s Trustee on the Orange County Vector Control District, Cecilia Aguinaga. I spoke to her and to the director of the Vector Control District this morning. They explained that they cannot do misting of the insecticide they want to use if there is no wind and the prognosis for Monday calls for very little wind.
I asked them why Santa Ana is being sprayed and not other cities and they explained that our city is apparently a real problem with regard to mosquitoes – but only in a swath of the central part of the city, in four areas outlined in the map above. They also said that eventually the district will spray in other cities as well but that 60% of the problem is here in Santa Ana.
The areas to be sprayed run from Euclid on the West to Tustin Ave. on the East with a cluster of homes ranging from First St. on the North to Warner on the South, in between Harbor and Bristol. The majority of the areas being sprayed are in Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero’s Ward 6 and Councilman Vince Sarmiento’s Ward 1.
Apparently 80% of the mosquitoes in Orange County are now considered to be infected with the West Nile Virus. The director said that the lakes, irrigation channels and pools are under control. The problem, he said, was the backyards in the targeted areas where mosquitoes are spawning in water that has collected in trash, potted plants, etc. They can breed in any amount of standing water.
The director also said that the district should have started spraying in August but they missed their window and are not playing catch up.
I was upset about the lack of notice about the spraying as the district sent out an email on Friday – and was planning to start spraying this Monday at 3 am. Aguinaga said she is pushing the district to do a robo-call in English and Spanish in the areas that are going to be sprayed, the day prior to any spraying.
Residents are advised to:
- Stay indoors during the treatment and for 30 minutes afterwards
- Close doors and windows and shut down non recirculating air conditioners during treatment and for 30 minutes after treatment
- Cover outdoor fishponds, pet food, and water bowls prior to the application
And if you don’t want your house to be sprayed then now is the time to clean up your backyard and make sure there is no standing water. (With the hot weather we are having I can’t imagine there is a lot of water but the culprit could be backyard lawn sprinklers).
I asked the director how he plans to spread the insecticide mist over walls and fences into the backyards in question. That is why they need some breeze, he said. They need the wind to spread the insecticide over the walls and fences and into the backyards.
Spraying will continue to be delayed until the weather changes.
If you are unhappy about the spraying, here is who you should contact:
- Supervisor Janet Nguyen – she is so busy running for the 34th State Senate Districtthat she is not doing her job as our County Supervisor. And as a resident of Garden Grove she could care less what is done to the people of Santa Ana. Email her here.
- Our representative on the Board of Trustees of Orange County Vector Control is Cecilia Aguinaga. She is running for office right now too, for the SAUSD School Board. Email her here or call her at (714) 971-2421 Ext.115.
- The Santa Ana City Council. Email them here.
- Santa Ana Councilwoman Michele Martinez, Ward 2. She is currently running for re-election. Email her here and here. Call her at (714) 887-9845.
- Santa Ana Councilman David Benavides, Ward 4. He is currently running for re-election. Email him here and here. Call him at (714) 475-1630.
- Santa Ana Mayor Pro Tem Sal Tinajero, Ward 6. He is currently running for re-election. Email him here and here. Call him at (714) 552-2800.
- Santa Ana Councilman Roman Reyna, Ward 5. He is currently running for Mayor of Santa Ana. Email him here. Call him at 714-647-6900.
- Santa Ana Councilman Vince Sarmiento, Ward 1. Email him here. Call him at 714-647-6900.
- Santa Ana Councilwoman Angie Amezcua, Ward 3. Email her here. Call her at 714-647-6900.
- Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido. Email him here. He is currently running for reelection. Call him at 714-647-6900.
- Santa Ana City Manager David Cavazos. Call him at (714) 647-5200.
Here is a video about the West Nile virus, courtesy of the OC Vector Control District:
If the problem is standing water why not have vector control employees walk the neighbor hoods and hand out pamphlet educating these residents on how they can help solve the problem.
I have informed my friends and family to check for standing water.
They need to educate these residents both in English and Spanish since that is the majority of residents. Santa Ana residents are not very active in their neighborhood community so if you don’t like this speak up write to someone on the list or call. These are part of your rights! If this would happen in garden grove Tustin those people have a higher percentage of involvement in their communities. The virus can be bad and who knows mabye this is what needs to be doneto aid in the situation but these other cities have mosquito issues as well. It’s the lack of information and education that people will be upset with and feel it’s a minority issue. Educate yourself and speak up for your rights. And there are other ways to go about this issue rather thensuch a drastic thing like this. I am highly aagainst this and believe the city is doing a horrible job and taking care of their citizens as well as educating them!
You are absolutely wrong! The North Santa Ana neighborhoods are very ‘dialed in’ when it comes to the community and the city. Speak for yourself.
Those areas aren’t being sprayed.
thank you for sharing email addresses. i’ve just sent a request to each of them. NO spraying without more information and consent of residents!
Bullshit. Not being done to protect us, who knows what toxin they’ll be spraying on us, probably to make us sick, infertile, or easier to tame.
*Alternate Precautions*?Mosquito Traps? ?Insect Repellents? Umm, yes I think we should start here!!
But will it harm my medical marijuana crops?!
You won’t be able to sell to any legit clinic that does testing that’s for sure!
Thankfully this is Santa Ana and there are no rules forcing them to test CHA CHING!!
This weeks WNV spraying has been cancelled in Santa Ana !!!! keep calling and emailing your elected officials and let them know your concerns!!!
Email FROM: Nguyen, Janet
Thank you for contacting me regarding the Orange County Vector Control District’s West Nile Virus mitigation efforts.
As the County Supervisor representing the City of Santa Ana, I am committed to protecting the well-being of our residents. Please note that the Orange County Vector Control District (“Vector Control”), is a special district agency solely responsible for the spraying being considered to address the West Nile Virus, and is not part of or under the control or jurisdiction of the County of Orange or the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Vector Control, in Orange County as in other counties throughout California, has independent authority to conduct surveillance for, or to prevent and abate production of vectors, or mosquito-borne diseases. See Health and Safety Code Section 2040. Vector control agencies are given statutory power to participate in review, comment, and make recommendations regarding local, state, or federal land use planning and environmental quality processes and their potential effects with respect to vector production. See Health and Safety Code Section 2041.
In light of your concerns, my staff has met with the Vector Control’s Manager, Michael Hearst, and his staff to request that they address the safety issues raised by the community prior to any spraying being done. We are happy to report that Vector Control has agreed to provide the public with more information. Given that the current weather conditions have stalled the scheduled spraying, the Vector Control District will use this opportunity to enhance their outreach efforts.
Please keep a look out for notices from the Vector Control District and the City of Santa Ana for potential meetings in your neighborhood regarding upcoming steps to address the spread of the West Nile Virus. We note that Orange County is one of the most severely affected communities by the West Nile Virus. As of this morning, 91 residents have been infected and 3 of them have died. More infections happen each day, and a delay in mitigation will result in a rapid increase in the number of humans infected by West Nile Virus.
To answer some of the questions you may have about the Vector Control District and their mitigation efforts, please see the information provided by Vector Control at: http://www.ocvcd.org/adultmosquitocontrolFAQ.php
If you have any further questions regarding the West Nile Virus Mitigation efforts in Santa Ana, please contact the Orange County Vector Control District at (714) 971-2421. If you have any questions regarding matters related to the County of Orange, please do not hesitate to contact me. It is an honor to represent you in the First District.
Sincerely,
JANET NGUYEN
Supervisor, First District
Orange County Board of Supervisors
There not going to educate the is money being made from this spraying. We need to find out who are the one approving this spending.