An ever-growing number of
rodents in
California -- particularly in
Los Angeles -- is being fueled by a spiking homeless population and restrictions on rodenticides that are risking a
public health crisis, according to a study released Tuesday.
The report by political action committee Reform California cites recent rodent-related events over the past six months, including an employee at the
Los Angeles Police Department contracting Typhus and a
rat falling from the ceiling of a
Buffalo Wild Wings onto the menu of a patron, as proof of an "undeniable problem" in the Golden State.
"California is being overrun by rodents," said Carl DeMaio, chairman of Reform California. "Without immediate emergency action by state and local government, we face significant economic costs and risk a public health crisis."
Rodent's can carry
dangerous diseases such as typhus, plague and salmonella, in addition to their roles contributing to asthma.
"Contrary to 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. "Two other vehicles of transmission are far more prevalent: fleas and urine droppings."
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. Included in the study was a list of "rattiest cities" in the nation published by the pest-control company Orkin, which named Los Angeles as the second most rat-infested city in the nation behind Chicago.
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 population growth," he said. "Second, many local governments, including Los Angeles, have banned the most effective practices for detecting and eradicating rats."
About three-quarters of the nearly 59,000 homeless people
counted in Los Angeles County in the past year were living outdoors, fueling concerns of a growing public health crisis with piles of garbage and rats near homeless encampments lining downtown sidewalks.
Reform California said the rodent population can be controlled using the most effective tools for pest control, but Los Angeles discontinued use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides in 2014, a move the group claims that led to the spike.
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