OC supervisor candidates weigh creek herbicide use and alternatives

Orange County supervisor candidates outlined different approaches to herbicide use in county creek beds, with Shaw favoring site-specific decisions grounded in science and Traut opposing routine glyphosate use while health and environmental concerns remain unresolved, according to Voice of OC.

The questionnaire addresses how the county should maintain flood-control capacity while responding to concerns about water quality, wildlife and public health. Creek Team activists brought attention to the county’s use of herbicides containing glyphosate, according to Voice of OC.

Voice of OC published the responses as part of its series examining how candidates would govern as county supervisors. Shaw and Traut are candidates in the Fourth District; Assemblywoman Dixon and Supervisor Foley are running in the Fifth District.

Shaw said decisions about creek herbicides should account for scientific evidence, health and environmental standards, conditions at each site and flood-control needs. Shaw also supported assessing integrated vegetation management, including mechanical removal and targeted treatment of vegetation, according to the publication.

Traut said the county was testing manual and mechanical approaches in San Juan and Trabuco Creeks. Traut also supported involving independent experts and state regulators in developing long-term policy, Voice of OC reported.

In a rebuttal published by Voice of OC, Foley said she had worked to halt creek spraying and end contracts, and that a complaint she filed resulted in penalties against a contractor. Foley said her efforts began in 2017 while she was Costa Mesa mayor. Those statements are Foley’s account of her record.

The supplied article leaves Dixon’s questionnaire responses and Foley’s initial answers blank. An editor’s note says Voice of OC offered Foley an opportunity to address Dixon’s comments about her past votes, then offered Dixon a further response. Dixon did not respond to that offer, according to the note.

The available responses put both alternative vegetation-management methods and the standards for herbicide use before voters, with Shaw emphasizing evaluation of workable alternatives and Traut calling for outside expertise to help guide policy.