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By Miriam Raftery
Photo: Man clearning dry weeds; Creative Commons image by SA-NC
April 8, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) – If you need brush cleared or weed abatement to prevent fires, those are essential services that are allowed to continue despite COVID-19 stay-home orders in the state and county. Removing or pruning dead or dying trees to prevent them from falling is also an essential service. Gardening for purposes not related to safety or sanitation, however, are not allowed.
East County Magazine received clarification from state and federal agencies to confirm these facts, after a worker hired to clear weeds in the Mt. Helix area told our editor that he was stopped by law enforcement and told to go home, or face a $1,000 fine and arrest. A property owner in a rural area also advised ECM of a weed abatement worker ordered home by a law enforcement officer.
Property owners are required by law to maintain defensible space around their homes. Brush clearing and weed abatement are especially important now, since Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service have both suspended controlled burns in order to avoid aggravating lung conditions in residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The California Department of Public Health’s office of public affairs sent the following response to our inquiry regarding brush clearing, weed abatement, removal of dead trees and pruning for safety’s sake:
Gardeners providing services that are necessary for sanitation and safety are essential workers, under the following designation:
“Workers such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences.”
Gardeners that are performing services that are solely upkeep and cosmetic work are not designated essential workers.
The list of Essential Workforce and any updates made to it can be found here https://covid19.ca.gov/img/EssentialCriticalInfrastructureWorkers.pdf.
ECM also reached out to Lori Brown, director of constituent services for state Senator Brian Jones. She contacted the San Diego Sheriff and advised ECM that the Sheriff’s office indicated “if you have a dead tree falling, it would be considered essential.”
Although the worker in the Mt. Helix area said he was stopped by California Highway Patrol, a CHP spokesman advised ECM that the CHP policy is focused only on enforcement of traffic laws, not COVID-19 essential worker orders.
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