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MVCAC

Grassroots Advocacy Program

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September 17, 2024 �

Outreach Objectives & Sequence

Now that the legislative session is over, legislators typically spend more time in their districts. The purpose of reaching out to legislators during the fall is to build and enhance relationships not advocate for a particular bill or issue.

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Fall 2024

• Meet with state Senators and Assembly Members in their district
• Focus on legislators who will still be in state office next year �

November/December 2024

• Reach out to newly elected legislators in your district to congratulate them and introduce your MVCD

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Winter/Spring 2025

• Meet with state Senators and Assembly Members on Fridays or other times they are in their district
• Focus on newly elected legislators

Why Grassroots Advocacy is Important

Increased accessibility: you will have more time to meet with legislators, have in-depth conversations about district-specific challenges and efforts, and show them your mosquito control operations.�

Understanding local issues: when meetings are in their district, legislators are more likely to be focused on local issues. They can see first-hand what is happening in their community and better understand how state policies affect their constituents.�

Relationship building: Meeting in the district allows for a more personal connection and an opportunity to position your district as a resource for them. �

Enhance state level collaboration: building relationships at the local level helps build awareness about mosquito control issues and better position MVCAC and your district for favorable state policy and regulatory outcomes.

Outreach Tips

• Email your legislator and their district director and invite them to tour your district - highlight any visuals they will see such as drones.�
• Sample outreach email and list with legislative contact information is on the MVCAC website: members.mvcac.org/legislative-outreach

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• If more than one MVCD falls into a legislative district, coordinate outreach with the other MVCDs to offer tours at different times.�
• Take photos during the tour and share them in your newsletter, on your website, and social media.

Before You Meet

• Read your legislators’ bios and know their background.�
• Create an agenda and decide which staff members should be present.

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• Prepare a folder with important informational materials including fact sheets, brochures, etc.
• It’s good to include materials from both MVCAC and your district.

Meeting Ideas

• Use visuals to help set the stage for your discussion - you can use the MVCAC storymap or Mosquito 101 PowerPoint Presentation.

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• Show legislators innovative technology (i.e. irradiation) your district is using.

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• Consider adding a media component or a hook to draw electeds attention - anniversary celebration, drone demonstration, etc.

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• Considering partnering with another local special district and inviting electeds on a two district tour.
• This is a good way to show how special districts can work together and you can highlight the importance of using mosquito repellent when spending time outdoors. �
• Invite legislators to set/pick up a mosquito trap near their legislative office or in a nearby neighborhood so they can see your field work in action.

MVCAC Key Issues for 2024

UTILITY VAULT ISSUES

NEED FOR INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

ONGOING SUPPORT FOR CALSURV

INTENSITY OF MOSQUITO ACTIVITY

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS

ONGOING SUPPORT FOR CALSURV

NEED FOR INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

Water Retention in Utility Vaults Promotes the Development of Mosquitoes

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• MVCAC sponsored legislation SB 1251 (Stern) to compel electrical corporations to enter into jointly-developed vector management agreements upon request of the mosquito control agency, for purposes of mosquito surveillance, treatment, and post-treatment inspections. �
• SB 1251 would allow for these agreements to be entered into within six months of the mosquito control agency’s request.�
• The bill passed out of the Legislature and is currently on the Governor’s desk - he has until September 30 to sign or veto bills. �

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Last year, mosquito activity was very intense and public health threats continue to grow in the state

• In 2023, California experienced record-breaking West Nile virus activity after experiencing heavy precipitation in the winter and spring. There were 402 human cases and 17 were fatal. So far, in 2024 West Nile virus activity has been lower than this time in 2023.�
• A dormant lake in Tulare County refilled and controlled flooding of nearby residential parcels resulted in hundreds of new mosquito sources creating a public health emergency. State and federal funding and assistance with surveillance and control was needed as the majority of the area was not within a mosquito control district boundary and the scale of the emergency exceeded available local resources.

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• In summer 2023, for the first time in California, there were two cases of locally transmitted dengue in southern California and on September 10, 2024 there was a 3rd case confirmed. Dengue is transmitted by invasive Aedes mosquitoes which continue to spread throughout the state and are now in 24 counties. While there have been travel-associated cases of dengue in the state, local transmission is now a new reality that mosquito districts have to contend with.

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• Malaria is also a public health threat as last year, for the first time since 2003, the U.S. had locally acquired cases of malaria that were reported in Florida, Texas, Maryland, and Arkansas.

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Climate change is creating weather whiplash that intensifies the spread of invasive mosquitoes

• Large weather events such as hurricanes, heavy precipitation, and flooding create additional habitats for mosquitoes to develop. Warming temperatures are also facilitating the spread of invasive Aedes mosquitoes which are difficult to control with existing mosquito control methods.

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• Surveillance and treatment for invasive Aedes mosquitoes are very expensive and labor-intensive, and mosquito and vector control districts throughout the state are saddled with skyrocketing costs.

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• While some mosquito and vector control districts can maintain budget reserves, some districts with invasive Aedes activity report spending nearly a half million dollars to control the spread of invasive mosquitoes and protect public health. This comes close to decimating their annual budgets.

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Mosquito control experts need new innovative technologies to augment traditional control efforts

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• Mosquito districts throughout the state are increasingly looking at incorporating innovative technologies such as drones and sterile insect techniques to augment their integrated vector management programs.

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• These technologies are critically important but they cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. In addition, regulatory approvals stall innovation.

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• In the past 10 years, no new tools have been approved in our state to assist mosquito control districts in fighting the spread of invasive Aedes mosquitoes.

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• We are preparing for this new normal but anticipate that state funding and assistance will be needed to keep pace with increasing mosquito-related public health threats.

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CalSurv continues to be an essential tool in fighting vector-borne diseases

• CalSurv is recognized in statute as the statewide surveillance database critical to preventing the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.�
• Housed at UC Davis, CalSurv provides real-time data collection, visualization, and analysis to enable over 80 mosquito and vector control and public health agencies to make informed decisions on public health interventions.�
• The online interactive platform was included in the 2024-25 state budget as an annual appropriation and ongoing state support is critical. Recent state funding has enabled the addition of new capabilities:�
• New data tools to support surveillance for vectors of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.�
• Open-data portal to accelerate research on the spread of invasive species and climate change-related impacts.�
• Support for Integrated Vector Management practices through immediate reporting of mosquito and tick surveillance and pathogen test results.�
• Improved interoperability with local, state, and national systems.

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State of Mosquito Control & Timeline

Factsheets

MVCAC Brochure

Resources

• Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit
• List with legislative contact information identifies which legislators are termed out, running for other offices, etc.
• Legislators Bios
• Mosquito 101 PowerPoint Presentation
• Evergreen Storymap
• Legislative Fact Sheets�

All of this information is on the MVCAC website: members.mvcac.org/legislative-outreach

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Thank You

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Questions?