Sonoma Safe Ag Safe Schools
Toxic Free Cities
Thanks to great efforts from our coalition of local community organizations and individuals just like you, most cities and the largest school district in Sonoma County are partially or entirely maintained without the use of synthetic pesticides. Help your community go toxic-free, contact us for more information.
City of St. Helena
Council makes official the City's practice of not using synthetic pesticides at parks and public spaces and agrees to receive quarterly reports from staff on IPM program. Congratulations St. Helena!
October 26 2021
Petaluma Integrated Pest Management Plan **In Progress**
September 2021: Sonoma SASS is working with he City of Petaluma to include a pesticide ban in the upcoming IPMP. Email us to get involved! SonomaSASS@gmail.com
City of Rohnert Park
9/3/19 Council cancels meeting & vote
9/26/19 Council votes NO on ban
11/24/20 RP bans synthetic pesticides!
RP Anticipated Pesticide Application Calendar. Read more here!
November 24 2020
Sonoma State University
SSU bans RoundUp and glyphosate products as part of Climate Leadership Commitment
December 9 2019
City of Cotati
City Council votes to ban glyphosate-based weedkillers and to prepare a plan to eliminate all synthetic pesticides on city property.
August 13, 2019
County of Sonoma
County Supervisors vote to ban all synthetic pesticide use on publicly accessible County-owned land. Read more here!
June 4 2019
City of Sonoma
City Council votes to ban glyphosate-based weedkillers on city-owned land. Read more here!
January 5 2019
Town of Windsor
Town Council votes to ban all synthetic pesticide use in parks and public spaces within town limits. Read more here!
September 5 2018
City of Santa Rosa
City Council votes to ban all synthetic pesticides from city landscape contract. Read more here!
August 22 2018
City of Sebastopol
The first City in Sonoma County to eliminate the use of synthetic pesticides. Read more here!
May 1 2000
Santa Rosa City Schools
The largest school district in Sonoma County (25 schools) bans the use of all synthetic herbicides. Learn more here!
January 8 2018
Healthy Schools Act
All pre-school and public k-12 schools need to be compliance with the Healthy Schools Act. Schools must notify families if pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, and some disinfectants) are used on campus, and all school personnel (teachers, maintenance staff, etc) must take training from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation if they use any of these pesticides on campus (see FAQ). Parents are allowed to opt-in to advance notifications for any pesticide being used on campus and anyone can request pesticide use reports from a school district at any time.
Sprayed pesticide applications are not allowed within 1/4 miles of public schools and daycare facilities during school hours (6am-6pm M-F) according to new California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) rules regarding Pesticide Use Near Schoolsites. Though sprayed pesticides often drift 1-mile or more from an intended target, these rules go a long way toward protecting children’s growing bodies and brains. These new rules also require farms that use pesticides within 1/4 miles of a school to submit a list of the pesticides that might be used near that school within the school year. These reports can be requested from the school district or from the Agricultural Commissioner’s office.
A Press Democrat Close to Home article discusses the new school buffer zone rules and how they might apply to schools in Sonoma County.