Earlimart pesticide victims appear before officials who have failed to meet with them

After Tulare County supervisors have repeatedly failed to act on their requests or even meet with them, victims of a mass Nov. 13 pesticide poisoning in Earlimart will join the United Farm Workers in taking their case before the Board of Supervisors at its regular 9 a.m. meeting on Tuesday in Visalia.

None of the families’ medical bills from the poisoning have been paid. Some residents have been refused medical care as a result and they are worried about long term health impacts from the pesticide.

The Earlimart poisoning victims, who are mostly farm workers, along with more than 100 supporters will make their appeal during the public comment period at the beginning of Tuesday’s session. That will follow an 8:45 a.m. press briefing outside the supervisors’ chambers.

Neither Supervisor Mel Richmond, who represents Earlimart, nor any other member of the Board of Supervisors have met with the pesticide victims, who are mostly Latino. Richmond canceled three scheduled appointments and initially postponed the last meeting until March 17, more than four months after the incident. After hearing about the plans for Tuesday, he rescheduled the meeting for Friday, Feb. 18.

On Dec. 8, Earlimart residents asked county officials to create a task force to review the accident, including the humiliating treatment of victims during decontamination procedures. On Dec. 13, state Department of Pesticide Regulation Director Paul Helliker backed the idea of the task force and the residents request that it include the UFW. On Dec. 14, residents again called for a task force during testimony at a Board of Supervisors hearing. To date, no action has been taken.

Who: Earlimart pesticide victims, more than 100 supporters, the UFW and the Tulare County Board of Supervisors.

What: Urging creation of a task force to review the Nov. 13 mass poisoning in Earlimart after county supervisors have failed to take any action and families’ medical bills have gone unpaid.

When: 8:45 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2000 press briefing before the regular 9 a.m. meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

Where: Tulare County Adm. Bldg., 2800 W. Burrel Ave., Visalia.

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