Nominations Open for the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s Environmental Justice Advisory Committee
Nomination for committee members open through June 30, committee on track to convene first meeting in late 2025
SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Pesticide Regulation opened its first nomination period to identify representatives from rural and urban communities impacted by pesticide use, including Native American, tribal, or indigenous groups, farmworker advocates, socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers and scientists with environmental justice backgrounds that are interested in serving on the department’s new Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (EJAC).
To apply for a seat on the EJAC, applicants can fill out an application form in English or Spanish and provide a recommendation letter from an environmental justice organization, community group, or other organization or entity implementing program work that seeks to achieve environmental justice.
Mail all materials to EJACinfo@cdpr.ca.gov by June 30, 2025.
State Assembly Bill 652, signed into law in 2023, directed the department to create an EJAC, with the goal of providing prioritized recommendations to DPR on ways to integrate environmental justice considerations into department programs and decision making. DPR convened workshops in May 2025 to solicit feedback on the EJAC nomination process, application, scoring criteria for applicants and supporting materials, including a draft charter and scope of work for the EJAC. You can view the public feedback received on our SmartComment page. For a summary of feedback, see the EJAC webpage.
Following the nomination period, EJAC nominees will be evaluated based on final scoring criteria, which was updated to reflect public feedback received in May.
DPR’s director will appoint the final members.
“I am deeply appreciative of community members, advocates and impacted parties across the state for their engagement with DPR to support our work to advance transparency and accountability, and address the human health and environmental concerns of communities most impacted by pesticide use,” said DPR Director Karen Morrison. “I look forward to welcoming the first members of EJAC to DPR in the near future and to support this committee’s effective interaction with the department in the years ahead.”
The committee’s development was funded by the 2024-2025 State Budget, which provided support for two meetings a year. DPR is on track to convene the EJAC’s first meeting in late 2025.
How to Apply
To review the nomination process and access the online application form, visit DPR’s EJAC website page.
To apply for the EJAC, interested candidates should complete an online application form and submit one or more letters of recommendation, and any optional additional relevant supporting materials, such as resumes, cover letter, awards, or other documentation via email to EJACinfo@cdpr.ca.gov.
The deadline to apply is June 30.
About Environmental Justice and DPR
Environmental Justice (EJ) is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of people of all races, cultures, incomes, and national origins, with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
Advancing EJ includes recognizing and working to address disparities in the distribution of environmental benefits and burdens within and across communities, at an individual and community level.
DPR’s EJ commitment – part of its broader commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion – is a cornerstone of DPR’s 2024-2028 Strategic Plan.
Additional Information
For more information about Environmental Justice, see DPR’s EJ webpage.
See DPR’s EJAC page for more information about the committee and draft supporting documents.
Watch a video about the EJAC here in English and Spanish.
Email questions about EJAC and how to apply to EJAC@cdpr.ca.gov.
About DPR
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation protects human health and the environment by fostering safer and sustainable pest management practices and operating a robust regulatory system to monitor and manage the sale and use of pesticides across the state. DPR’s work includes registering all pesticides sold or used in California, conducting scientific evaluation of pesticides to assess and mitigate potential harm to human health or the environment, investing in innovative research to encourage the development and adoption of integrated pest management tools and practices, monitoring for pesticides in the air and water, conducting outreach to ensure pesticide workers, farmworkers and local communities have access to safety information, and enforcing pesticide regulations in coordination with 55 County Agricultural Commissioners and their 500 field inspectors.