An ever-growing number of rodents in California—particularly in Los Angeles—is being fueled by a growing homeless population and restrictions on rodenticides that are risking a public health crisis. "California is being overrun by rodents," said Carl DeMaio, chairman of Reform California. "Without immediate emergency action by state and local governments, we face significant economic costs and risk a public health crisis."
Rodents can carry dangerous diseases such as typhus, plague and salmonella, in addition to their roles contributing to asthma. "Contrary to the common belief, being bitten by a rodent is rare and is not the most common way diseases are spread. Nonetheless, reports of city workers being bitten by rodents is on the rise—with most recent cases being reported in Los Angeles," the report notes. The study also surveyed 23 pest control companies in California, and found that all of the reported that rat service requests were up almost 60 percent in the past year.
At a press conference at Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday, DeMaio there were two particular reasons behind the rodent explosion. "First, the homeless population increase, which provides a source of food which supports the population growth," he said. "Second, many local governments, including Los Angeles, have banned the most effective practices for killing the rats."
Besides a 12 percent spike in homelessness in Los Angeles County in the past year, another problem is illegal dumping. Last month, Los Angeles County mentioned 85 downtown businesses for not having proper trash receptacles, exacerbating the problem of illegal dumping. The Los Angeles City Council recently paid more than $6.5 million to the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation to cover costs of hygiene and health services and cleanup teams that will target areas in great need of cleaning.
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