Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Supervisors appoint board for pest control district

Nicholas Bozick, Gregory Kamin, Laurie Kariya, Timothy Lyall and Warren Lyall comprise the initial board of the San Diego County Citrus Pest Control District.

A 4-0 San Diego County board of supervisors vote May 3, with Bill Horn absent, approved the pest control district board members.

“Now the work begins,” said Warren Lyall.

The California Food and Agriculture Code allows growers to petition for a Citrus Pest Control District. The district’s growers and board will implement and administer the district which assesses a property tax on commercial citrus groves and uses that money for control, containment or treatment activities.

If property owners representing at least 51 percent of the proposed district’s acreage sign a petition, and that petition is presented to the clerk of the board of supervisors, the county supervisors will make a determination whether the proposed district is feasible and in the interest of the owners.

Growers in Pala, Pauma Valley, San Pasqual and Borrego Springs proposed a Citrus Pest Control District for farms in those communities to prevent outbreaks of huanglongbing disease (HLB) which causes citrus tree death. HLB is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). A single ACP can be a vector of HLB, and a psyllid can carry HLB from an infected tree to a previously healthy tree.

Every Florida county which grows citrus now has HLB. The first Asian citrus psyllid found in San Diego County was detected in 2008, and the first find in North County occurred in Valley Center in 2009. The first known case of HLB in Los Angeles County was detected in March 2012, and more than 50 trees have tested positive for the disease. HLB has also been detected in northern Baja California, and earlier this year HLB was found in Orange County.

On a statewide basis, citrus crops contribute $2.5 billion to the state’s economy, and according to the 2015 county crop report, citrus accounted for $126 million of San Diego County’s crop value. HLB would also put residential and other non-commercial citrus trees at risk. Although HLB has not been detected in San Diego County, the entire county is under an ACP quarantine.

A petition to form the San Diego County Citrus Pest Control District was circulated among growers of at least 25 citrus trees. March 8, county agricultural commissioner Ha Dang notified Warren Lyall, who has been the ACP Task Force chair, that the owners of 3,603 of 4,503 acres, or 80 percent, had indicated support.

The support included ownership of 1,899 of 1,991 acres, or 95 percent, in Pala and Pauma Valley. The Borrego Springs support represented 1,593 of 2,422 acres, or 66 percent, while the San Pasqual support was 110 of 671 acres, or 16 percent, although most of the San Pasqual land is owned by the city of San Diego, so a San Diego City Council vote would have been necessary for official property owner support.

The petition sent to growers by the San Diego County Farm Bureau also included the option to oppose the district or to state that citrus was no longer being farmed on the property; no property owners indicated opposition to the pest control district. That certified petition was submitted to the clerk of the board of supervisors March 9.

“The formation of this district is a collaborative effort between the county and the agricultural industry," said Dang. "It represents the board of supervisors’ continued support for agriculture and the growers’ resolve to address this threat to the citrus industry.”

The board of supervisors 5-0 vote March 15 set an April 12 hearing for the creation of the San Diego County Citrus Pest Control District. A 4-0 board of supervisors vote April 12, with Ron Roberts in China, created the pest control district, directed the clerk of the board of supervisors to provide notice requesting the qualifications of potential San Diego County Citrus Pest Control District board members and set a May 3 hearing to appoint the five-member board.

“Very happy that it passed," said San Diego County Farm Bureau’s first Vice President Enrico Ferro. "It’s something that I think is essential for us in order to protect our industry.”

Ferro is the county’s grower liaison to the California Department of Food and Agriculture as well as a pest control adviser and an avocado grower in Valley Center.

“This is a valuable tool for us as we see the potential of HLB on the horizon,” said Warren Lyall, whose ranch is in Pauma Valley. “This board will give us the ability to restrain that advance.”

The requirements to serve on the board include United States citizenship, California residency and ownership of land with commercial citrus production within the boundaries of the pest control district. The ACP Task Force and the county’s Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures recommended the appointments of Bozick, Kamin, Kariya, Timothy Lyall and Warren Lyall, and the board of supervisors’ action turned those recommendations into official appointments.

Bozick is a partner in Trojan Citrus which includes Borrego Valley acreage. Kamin is the manager and owner of Agua Tibia Ranch in Pauma Valley, which has 182 acres of planted citrus. Kariya is the owner of Pauma Valley Ranch. Warren Lyall is the CEO of Rancho Monte Vista in Pauma Valley, and Timothy Lyall is the Rancho Monte Vista chief operating officer and vice president.

“I think the district will really help mitigate the threat of HLB,” Dang said. “I think we’re on the right track as the huanglongbing increases. This is an action that the board took to continue to support San Diego County Agriculture.”

Eventually all San Diego County Citrus Pest Control District board terms will be for four years, although the terms will be staggered. The terms of the initial members will be chosen by lot with two members serving for four years, one serving for three years, one serving for two years and one serving for one year. The board of supervisors will reappoint members or appoint new members upon the expiration of each term, and the county supervisors will also fill vacancies for unexpired terms.

The district’s property owners and board will determine the fees or funding sources to prevent outbreaks of HLB disease. The formation of the San Diego County Citrus Pest Control District board allows the creation of a budget and the setting of a tax assessment in accordance with state law, which will be included on the property owners’ 2017-2018 property tax bill.

 

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