90 - Confronting SIT misinformation in Berkeley, California

Abstract: The city of Berkeley, CA is a trendsetter for social and environmental movements. In Fall 2021 a Berkeley city councilmember learned about a proposed release of GMO mosquitoes in California from a brief written by an environmental activist organization. In response, the councilmember wrote a resolution for the council to send a letter of opposition to state elected officials and regulatory agencies. While the planned release would target only areas with an established population of Aedes aegypti, thereby excluding Berkeley, the city council frequently votes on items which have set precedents for other cities, and often Berkeley’s resolutions attract national media attention. Once informed of the proposed resolution, the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District assembled a team to meet with the councilmember to address inaccuracies put forward by the activist organization. After conversations with the district staff, the councilmember invited the team to present at the city council meeting. During the council meeting, district staff and board trustees corrected falsehoods from the activist brief, and after an hour-long discussion which included comments from residents and anti-GMO activists, all nine councilmembers voted against the proposal.

The councilmembers realized the letter of opposition was based on inaccuracies and they acknowledged limited expertise on the subject, therefore the vote was a major victory for the district. In the following weeks the district spoke with councilmembers, and the writer of the anti-GMO brief. The issue culminated in an article for Berkeleyside.com, a website for local issues, entitled “No, genetically engineered mosquitoes aren’t about to be released in Berkeley.” This series of events and the outcome demonstrate the importance of maintaining positive relationships with civic leaders. If there are local organized movements against SIT methods, a mosquito district should address the controversy directly, rather than allow non-mosquito organizations to control the narrative with inaccurate information.