Rats, Disease & California Politics: The Debate Nobody Wants to Have
In this episode of Sac Town Talks, Russell Lowery welcomes Renee Pinel from Western Plant Health to discuss California’s growing rat infestation crisis and the public health, agricultural, and policy challenges tied to it.
From Los Angeles overtaking Chicago as the nation’s top city for rat infestations to the spread of diseases like hantavirus and plague, Renee explains how rising rodent populations are impacting both urban neighborhoods and California farms.
The conversation dives into homelessness, food safety, farmworker health, pest control policy, and the debate over balancing…
The skinny
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