MVCAC Fall Meeting October 2-4 at the Hilton Palm Springs.

Booking information and schedule to come

MVCAC Summer Meeting July 25^th via zoom from 9 AM to noon. 

Zoom info to come. 

It's nomination time! Nominations are now open for MVCAC's Meritorious Service, Honorary Member, and the Service with Distinction Awards.  All nominations must be received in the MVCAC office by September 11th so they may be included on the ballot to all the member districts, or adequate ad hoc committees may be appointed (for Service with Distinction). 



For all award nominations, a list of the individuals qualifying accomplishments and achievements must also be received with the nomination letter. 

Please submit nominations via email to mvcac@mvcac.org or fax at 916-444-7462 attn: Award Nominations. Ballots for Honorary and Meritorious Service will be sent out after September 13th, with a due date before the Fall meeting in October. 

Please do not hesitate to contact the MVCAC office if you have any questions!

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Vector-Borne Disease Section is currently conducting a survey to better understand the barriers encountered by vector control districts in California for conducting routine insecticide resistance testing. We kindly request your input by answering the following questions to the best of your knowledge and experience. All responses will be kept confidential. Your participation in this survey is greatly appreciated. The survey will be closed on July 11^th, 2023. If there are any questions, please contact Hannah.Romo@cdph.ca.gov

• Part 1. Knowledge Assessment
• Part 2. Resistance Monitoring for Vector Control Agencies in California

An updated version of Best Management Practices for Mosquito Control in California (PDF) is available from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). This resource is a manual for landowners and land managers, and provides specific, primarily non-chemical actions that can be implemented to reduce or eliminate mosquito production from different habitats. Additional information about mosquitoes and larval habitats in California is also provided. This manual and additional resources are available from CDPH at:

• California West Nile Virus website – Response Plans and Guidelines; Mosquito Control Information
• CDPH Mosquitoes and Mosquito-Borne Diseases webpage

For National Mosquito Control Awareness Week (June 18-24) we wanted to share the media and outreach materials which include a press release (with a quote from Rep. Josh Harder, CA-9) and a social media calendar with posts, graphics, and videos. These materials can be found on member section of the MVCAC website under PR Resources > Mosquito Awareness Week. The public facing Mosquito Awareness Week webpage is here. Any questions, please contact Meagan Luevano (meaganl@placermosquito.org) or Lisa Yarbrough (lyarbrough@ka-pow.com).

The California Department of Public Health has a selection of social media messages and graphics for agencies and districts to share about tick-bite prevention, Lyme disease awareness, and dead bird reporting.

• Nymphal Ixodes pacificus Active in Spring/Early Summer

Share social media messages about nymphal tick awareness and tick-bite prevention this season: Nymphal Tick Social Media (MVCAC PR Google Drive)

• WNV & Dead Bird Reporting

Share social media messages about dead bird reporting for WNV surveillance this spring and summer: WestNile.ca.gov Sample Social Media

Other helpful CDPH resources and links:

• CDPH Lyme Disease webpage
• CDPH Tick-Borne Disease Prevention webpage – New!
• CDPH Ticks & Tick-Borne Diseases webpage

The MVCAC ad hoc Drone Committee is here to help you plan granular larvicide applications with your drone. Download the guide here to learn best practices for selecting a launch site, organizing the flight team, mission safety, regulations, and certifications.  

For vector control districts that wish to use pyriproxyfen in WOTUS, an updated Notice of Intent form and Pesticide Application Plan needs to be submitted to the State Water Board. Examples of completed documents can be found on the Water Board NPDES Vector Control Permit website. Due to web accessibility requirements, the State Water Board is no longer allowed to post 3^rd party documents unless they are ADA-compliant. Therefore, the Water Board requests applicants post documents on their webpage and provide a link which will then be used to post on the State Water Board website for 30-day public comment as required per the permit.

Email Gurgagn Chand, Gurgagn.Chand@waterboards.ca.gov, your website link for the document. After the application link is posted for 30-day public comment, Water Board staff will notify you of any items that need to be addressed within the amended application package as well as any public comments received. If everything checks out, generally an amended Notice of Applicability approving the revisions will be issued by the Deputy Director of Water Quality within 1-2 weeks. 

Email MVCAC Regulatory Affairs Committee Chair (Erika Castillo, erika@mosquitoes.org) if you have any additional questions.

The California legislature is discussing a bill, AB 740 [Gabriel] Drone cybersecurity, that would limit the use of drones by all government agencies in California that fail to meet certain cybersecurity standards or originate from countries identified by the Federal Government as a cybersecurity concern . DJI, who makes most of the drones that are used in the US, would be limited under this bill. As a result, no government in California agency would be allowed to fly DJI drones under this bill unless they qualify for a limited discretionary exemption.  

The current bill would bring this change into effect on January 1, 2026. MVCAC is seeking to motivate an extension to this deadline to 2028, but is not currently opposing the bill. Very recently, the bill was put on a two-year cycle, so there may be a further extension of the deadline, but this is not guaranteed. MVCAC will continue to engage on this issue as the bill progresses.

Please keep this in mind as you consider purchasing drones. Contact the Chair of the MVCAC ad hoc Drone Committee if you wish to discuss further (Eric Haas-Stapleton, Eric@mosquitoes.org).