News Briefs

Pest Control Operators of California

August 2016
EVP NOTES

Greetings to all of you!

I am pleased to announce that I have assumed the responsibility as your new Executive Vice President.

The first thing you should know is that I am excited about the opportunity to represent an organization that provides tremendous value to its members. Second, my experience working with PCOC during my time with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation informed me of the many issues that affect your businesses.

The ability to organize and effectively work on issues that impact the pest control industry is critical to meeting the challenges that face PCOC. You can be sure that we value your input and continue to provide a strong voice for your concerns in Sacramento. I look forward to meeting all of you in the coming months and please do not hesitate to contact me or our outstanding PCOC team if we can help you.

Chris Reardon

Executive Vice President

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

This year has produced one of the most challenging anti-pesticide bills introduced to the state legislature in the last decade. AB 2596 Bloom sought to ban the use of nearly all rodenticides in the state of California. Animal rights groups, lead by Poison Free Malibu, assert that the damage to wildlife from secondary poisoning (eating rodents that have consumed bait) is unacceptable and the only resolution is to ban the use of rodenticides throughout the state.

The Federal EPA and Cal EPA have looked very hard at rodenticides over the last 10 years and put in place several new guidelines for the use of rodenticides. The activists feel that these measures have failed and so they have pressured Mr. Blooms office to present a ban statewide.

PCOC has tried to engage the sponsors of the bill in a dialogue about improving the stewardship of rodenticides, but we were told that only an outright ban would be satisfactory.

We then went to work with a broad coalition of pest industry and food and ag industry partners to convince lawmakers that this was a colossally stupid idea. The bill received so much opposition that Mr. Bloom decided to withdraw the bill for this year and regroup.

We expect to see the bill re-introduced next January or February. We are continuing to maintain our broad coalition and take some pro-active steps as a responsible industry. NPMA is putting together an online course that should be available to all California PCOs in September or October. PCOC is dedicating district meeting training in October to the topic of rodenticides, and we have also just established a brand new partnership with University of California Irvine to create a west coast rodent academy.

If this bill is reintroduced and is successfully passed next year the consequences WILL be devastating. We need to come together with the full strength of our combined industry to ensure success. For this, two things are needed.

#1 — Support PAPCO. PAPCO is our political action committee and the money end of our efforts. Donations to PAPCO help fund the donations that we make to politicians and support our professional lobbyist and supports important activities like Legislative Days. Please make sure that you make your Club 99 donations and support PAPCO fundraisers.

#2 — Plan on attending Legislative Days next spring. There is only one thing that speaks louder than money in the Capitol and that's the voice of voters. Make it a point to come join us in Sacramento and carry this message first hand to the politicians from your hometown.

Thanks for all of the hard work that you have done already. It's been a great year, but there is a tougher fight waiting for us next year and we need to rise up to this challenge.

James Steed
PAPCO Chair
Legislative Chair

 

IN THE NEWS

Congratulations to the 2016 Fumigation Banner winner, PestCal Exterminators!

 

2nd Place went to Lloyd Pest Control
3rd Place went to Bug Defense Termite & Pest Control
4th Place went to Homeshield Pest Control
5th Place went to The Termite Guy

And the Honorable Mentions are: Teamwork Termite, Algon Exterminators and Stanley Pest Control.
 
UPCOMING EVENTS
Board of Directors Meeting - September 21-24, 2016
Red Lion Hotel Redding, Redding, California
Flier
Agenda
Committee Meeting Schedule

PAPCO Golf Tournament - September 22, 2016

RiverView Golf & Country Club, Redding, California
Golf Tournament Registration
Hole Sponsor Registration

Board of Directors Meeting - December 9-10, 2016

Hilton Palm Springs, Palm Springs, California

2017
Pest ED South - January 10, 2017
Quiet Cannon Montebello, Montebello, California
Information to follow

Pest Ed North - January 12, 2017
Red Lion Hotel, Sacramento, California
Information to follow

Leg Day/Board of Directors Meeting - April 3-5, 2017
Hyatt Regency Sacramento, Sacramento, California
Information to follow

PCOC Expo 2017 - June 21-25, 2017
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, Anaheim, California
Information to follow
 
Central Life Sciences
Comings and Goings

Welcome to a new section of Newsbriefs! Here, we will give news from our members: new hires, retirements, etc. If you have some news you would like to share, please send a short sentence or two to sarah@pcoc.org

 
Univar USA, Inc.
MEMBER VALUE PROGRAM
PCOC Insurance Program, credit card service, etc.

Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/cpc-nwl/pdf/MVP_Benefits_listing.pdf to view the full article online.

 
Pested.com, LLC
PCOC MONTHLY INSURANCE/SAFETY TIP

Don’t Let Claims Ruin Fitness or Fun
Submitted by: Paul Lindsay, EPIC Program Solutions

Especially during summer and fall, employers often encourage employees to participate in fitness activities or company picnics. But if an employee is injured at one of these events, your workers’ compensation might apply if:  

  • The employer makes participation mandatory or obligatory.
  • The employer paid for or organized the activity.
  • The event took place on your premises.
  • The employer sponsored the activity, such as paying for equipment or uniforms.
  • Only employees participated. 

Employers can avoid liability for fitness and recreation activities by having employees sign a recreational waiver before participating. Please contact your employment attorney for more information.

An on-site weight or exercise room makes it less expensive and more convenient for employees to exercise. However, employers must be careful to avoid liability for injuries to employees and others. To avoid this, we suggest the following guidelines for employer-sponsored onsite facilities: 

  • Limit use to employees only — no guests or family members

  • Have employees sign a waiver, saying 1) that they have no medical conditions that prohibit or would worsen with exercise, 2) that they agree that use of the center is completely voluntary and occurs on the employee’s own time.

  • Specifically state in the waiver that any injuries that occur at the center are not compensable by workers’ compensation.

  • Post signs on the doors reiterating #3 above.

  • Prohibit use of the facility for rehabilitation.

  • Read equipment manufacturers’ recommendations for preventive maintenance and develop a schedule for inspections and maintenance. Document all inspections and repairs made.

  • If the facility is large enough and the number of prospective users high enough, consider outsourcing management of the facility. Have your attorney review your contract with the facility manager.

For further information, please contact the PCOC Insurance Program Specialists at EPIC Insurance Brokers, at (877) 860-7378 or visit www.pcocinsurance.com .

 
DID YOU KNOW????
We are happy to announce our newest team member to the Corporate office, Sarah Conrad, as our new Administrative Assistant. She has worked in a wide array of industries, lastly insurance. She came in like a whirlwind and brought a new "can do" spirit into the office that seems to be rubbing off on those around her. She is very excited to be part of our team!! Sarah can contacted at the main office or by email at sarah@pcoc.org.
 
NEW MEMBERS

Name/Company/District
Member Type
Join Date
Mr. Sterling King
Spectrum Environ. Pest Mgmt
Ventura

R 7/22/2016
Mr. Douglas Belle
Douglas Products
LA/So. Bay

Z 8/1/2016
Mr. Patrick McClanahan
Nissan of Stockton
MidCal

A 8/1/2016
Mr Matthew Hagberg
Eco Shield Pest Control
San Bern/Riverside

R
8/8/2016
Ms. Margaret Vargas
SOS Pest Control
Santa Clara

S 8/9/2016
Mr. Phillip Valadez
Rumble Fish Pest Control
San Bern/Riverside
R
8/10/2016
 
FREQUENTLY REQUESTED INFORMATION

*NEW* NPMA LOGIN FOR JOINT MEMBERSHIP

LOGIN: Email or Personal ID 

PASSWORD: npma


Department of Fish & Game
www.dfg.ca.gov

Department of Food & Agriculture
www.cdfa.ca.gov

Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)
www.cdpr.ca.gov

DPR on Facebook
www.facebook.com/capesticideregulation

DPR on YouTube (see "playlists" for videos pertaining to new surface water regulations)
www.youtube.com/user/californiapesticides

DPR on Twitter
twitter.com/ca_pesticides

Find Your Legislator
www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

 
EPIC Brokers
Mega Fume, Inc.
BASF
Nisus Corp