(a) The Department of General Services shall apply for grants and other funding as may be available from state, federal, or other sources and upon receipt of appropriate funds, shall implement a demonstration project to study the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques at the State Capitol Park and its associated grounds that include the area located in the blocks bounded by 9th and 15th, L and N Streets, in the City of Sacramento, State of California. The Department of General Services shall apply for funds from July 1, 2002, to July 1, 2005, until appropriate funds are obtained.

(b) Successful practices learned directly from this demonstration project shall be deemed a sustainable measure, fitness and quality to traditional pest management methods being equal, and shall be made available to those state agencies interested in Integrated Pest Management. Successful practices learned from this demonstration program should also be made available to local jurisdictions at their request and expense, if appropriate.

(c) The Department of General Services shall present a report on this demonstration project to the Legislature within six months of its implementation.

(d) For the purposes of this section “Integrated Pest Management (IPM)” means a pest management strategy that focuses on long-term prevention or suppression of pest problems through a combination of techniques such as monitoring for pest presence and establishing treatment threshold levels, using nonchemical practices to make the habitat less conducive to pest development, improving sanitation, and employing mechanical and physical controls. Pesticides that pose the least possible hazard and are effective in a manner that minimizes risks to people, property, and the environment, are used only after careful monitoring indicates they are needed according to preestablished guidelines and treatment thresholds.

(Added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 242, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2003.)