Quick Take
Watsonville activist Omar Dieguez told Lookout that he’s feeling tired, but is still motivated and supported to continue the rest of his 30-day hunger strike in protest of pesticide use near schools.
Watsonville activist Omar Dieguez says he’s feeling the physical strain of not eating as he reaches the halfway point of his 30-day hunger strike in protest of pesticide use near schools in the Pajaro Valley.
“I do have a hard time focusing sometimes,” said Dieguez. “I am tired. I am moving slower.”
Dieguez, 48, embarked on his fasting journey at the beginning of September to bring awareness to the harmful effects of pesticide exposure in the region. He, along with activists from the Watsonville-based Campaign for Organic & Regenerative Agriculture (CORA), are demanding that Driscoll’s — the region’s largest berry grower — convert its fields near schools and residential areas to organic ones.
Driscoll’s once again directed Lookout to a statement posted on the company’s website: “We want to assure our local community that the use of pesticides, including their application near schools, is strictly regulated and closely monitored by multiple government agencies. This includes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR), and the County Agricultural Commissioner’s Offices,” the statement reads.
Since he started his monthlong fast, Dieguez said he has been receiving weekly checkups with his doctor to ensure that he’s remaining healthy. He’s continuing to consume water and electrolytes, and community members are constantly donating water and electrolyte powders, he said.
Throughout the first two weeks of his fast, Dieguez — a youth mentor for Santa Cruz-based Barrios Unidos — has been visiting schools in the Pajaro Valley, giving presentations on pesticide harms and his fasting journey to students at all levels of education. Some of the schools he’s visited so far include Cabrillo College in Aptos, MacQuiddy Elementary in Watsonville and high schools in Salinas.
The Watsonville activist also met with local grassroots organizations and spoke with Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner David Sanford about the harms of pesticide exposure — which can be linked to cancer and learning disabilities — and why they shouldn’t be sprayed near schools. Dieguez said he hopes that Sanford shares this information with the “people who need to hear it” — leaders in the agriculture industry.
PESTICIDES IN THE PAJARO VALLEY: Read more Lookout news and Community Voices opinion coverage here
Sanford told Lookout via email that he wished Dieguez well and that he remained in good health when they met. “We all share his concern that children have a healthy space for learning,” he said.
While the county agriculture commission does not set pesticide regulations — that’s the state’s responsibility — Sanford said his agency takes enforcing those rules seriously. He added that if residents have information that pesticides are being applied outside the restrictions set by the state, they should notify the agency.
Dieguez told Lookout that he’s also tried to meet with Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Juan Hidalgo, but has not been able to due to Hidalgo’s availability.
One of the challenges Dieguez is facing as he enters Day 17 of his fast is conserving his energy to continue giving presentations to students and community members. “I’ve had a lot of elders reach out to me that have done these hunger strikes, that see me on social media, they’re all reaching out and saying, ‘Slow down, man, slow down,'” he said.
As a safety precaution, Dieguez told Lookout that he’s being driven around for presentations to prevent any accidents on the road. Those community members are also helping with setting up each presentation so he can preserve his energy, he said.
Dieguez tries to rest and recuperate whenever he has some sort of free time between appearances, often meditating and going to sweat lodges — an Indigenous practice that helps with spiritual cleansing and prayer.
Dieguez said he is feeling very grateful for the outpouring of support from the community during his hunger strike, especially from local nonprofits such as CORA, Barrios Unidos and the Center for Farmworker Families. “It’s what helped me get through it,” he said. “Just a reminder of why I’m doing this.”
This hunger strike isn’t about him, Dieguez said, it’s about bringing awareness about pesticide harms to the community and giving a voice to those who are suffering the most: farmworkers, the youth and the immigrant and indigenous communities.
“It’s gaining a lot of attention, which was a goal of ours,” Dieguez said.
Last weekend, Dieguez made an appearance at the Mexican Independence Day celebration in downtown Watsonville, and felt immense support from the crowd. “They were very happy to hear that somebody was doing something,” he said.
Dieguez will be presenting at Watsonville High School this Friday and is scheduled to meet with people who participated in the 1980s Watsonville cannery strikes this weekend. He’s also going to appear on a radio show in Salinas this week.
There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done, he said. Dieguez told Lookout that he and other activists are beginning to plan next steps on how to get more people involved in the movement to end pesticide applications near schools.
“There’s a lot of people getting educated right now, and that’s what needs to happen,” he said. “And the momentum is building, and now we’ve just got to figure out ways for all of us to come together.”
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