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Watsonville native Omar Dieguez is on a monthlong hunger strike to protest the use of pesticides near schools in the Pajaro Valley. His goal is to pressure local berry growers, particularly Driscoll’s, to stop spraying pesticides near schools and work to convert to organic practices.
He says too many kids are getting life-threatening illnesses, including cancer and behavior disorders because of the pesticides they breathe or their mothers breathed while pregnant.
He began his strike Sept. 1 and has been joined by several community leaders, who will join the fast in varying intervals.
He told Lookout he felt compelled to act because the issue is ongoing and nothing is changing. “Many of my friends have suffered from cancers and other health problems that chemicals used in berry fields are known to cause,” he said.
During his strike, Dieguez, 48, plans to visit schools through Santa Cruz and Monterey counties to speak about pesticides.He is asking those who support his view that pesticide reform is possible in our county to sign a petition asking Driscoll’s to convert more fields around Watsonville schools and homes to organic. Find the petition here, and watch his video for Lookout’s Community Voices opinion section below.
