Some dog owners in San Jose are angry at the city for what they say was the reckless spraying of a pesticide.
People in the city's Alviso district claim it made pets sick and put kids at risk. Now they want an explanation and some changes.
Lina Burciaga, like many in Alviso, walks her dog along the trails of the neighborhood park almost every day. But last month her dog suddenly got sick and needed medical care. She said the vet told her the dog had been exposed to a poison.
"My dog started getting sick, started getting vomiting, scratching his face, his eyes itching," Burciaga said. "Then I noticed he had a rash in his paw."
Burciaga found out other people also had pets dealing with similar issues.
Resident Laurel Pathman, a retired attorney and a fellow dog walker, investigated and discovered a small sign posted on a barricade in front of the public library saying the city had sprayed a pesticide in the area.
She claims the sign was not posted before the spraying and was far from where people actually walk. She also said the print on the warning was small and did not convey any urgency.
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"They did not properly notify people," she said. "Secondly, they shouldn’t have been spraying the Roundup in the first place. There are other ways to kill weeds."
Alviso activist and Santa Clara Valley Water District board member Richard Santos was also left upset.
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"Being a director of the water district, you worry about the water table, those chemicals going into aquifers," he said. "I worry about...kindergarten, day care center, kids playing, potential swimming. We have a community garden that was put together where people grow vegetables. Are they affected? They need to be notified."
A spokesperson for the city’s parks department said workers told them they posted signs at the park entrances and posted them before they started spraying. They also said they stayed on the grounds until the pesticide was dry, reducing risk of exposure.
The department also told residents the pesticide used is considered, for the most part, safe by the EPA.
Burciaga is not convinced. She said her dog is still sick.
"Still itching, he don't want to eat, no energy and very sad," she said.
The parks department said it plans to review procedures and may end up videotaping them in the future to make sure the public sees that directions are being followed.
At this point, the community organizers said they may now take their concerns to the city council as well as the water district.
