Proposed Beekeeping Ordinance Sparks Debate

By ALEXANDRIA BORDAS | Reporter and FRANCES SHARPE | Editor-in-Chief

Residents in New York City, San Diego, Santa Monica and San Francisco have been doing it for years. Sacramento passed a resolution in March of this year to legalize it. The White House has been doing it since 2009.

Doing what? Urban beekeeping.

A proposed ordinance to allow backyard beekeeping in single-family residential zoned properties in the City of Los Angeles, however, is sparking debate in Pacific Palisades.

Cities have begun legalizing urban beekeeping in an effort to protect honeybees, which have been dying off in droves in recent years due to a mysterious ‘colony collapse disorder’ as well as other causes.

The historically high honeybee death rates pose a potential impact on the nation’s food supply.

According to the USDA, bee pollination is responsible for more than $15 billion in increased crop value each year. And about one mouthful in three in our diet directly or indirectly benefits from honeybee pollination.

Beekeeping in LA is currently allowed in agricultural zones, industrial zones and public facilities for educational purposes, but it is illegal in single-family residential areas.

If passed, the ordinance will give residents the opportunity to cultivate beehives in their backyard if all regulations are met (see box on page 8).

Originally introduced by former Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, the motion was unanimously adopted by the LA City Council on Feb. 12, 2014. The proposed ordinance is heading to City Planning on Thursday, May 14.

So far, support is strong among LA’s community civic organizations. Fourteen Neighborhood Councils (NCs) and the Mar Vista Community Council have submitted Community Impact Statements (CIS) in support of the ordinance. To date, no NCs or CCs have submitted a CIS opposing the ordinance.

That could change.

Katherine Peterson, a City Planning Associate in LA who has been the contact person at this stage in the ordinance approval process, said there has been overwhelming support in LA for backyard beekeeping but added that when it came to the Palisades, she was met with an unusual amount of concern.

The Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC) has yet to take an official position on the issue, but two PPCC board members, Secretary Jennifer Malaret and President Emeritus Barbara Kohn, have drafted a seven-page motion in opposition of backyard beekeeping.

The PPCC, which presented a balanced discussion on the topic at its April 23 meeting, did not take a vote on the draft motion and has no plans to address the issue further.

The opposition document, however, which to the average person may look like an official PPCC position, has already been posted to a social media site. Some beekeeping supporters said the document contains misinformation.

Since the PPCC meeting on April 23, some Palisadians have come forward with concerns focused mainly on two issues: safety and regulation.

A few Palisadian parents have said backyard beekeeping will increase the risk that children with life-threatening allergies will experience anaphylaxis from a bee sting. (See Marcia Rozelle’s Letter to the Editor on page 2.)

Palisadian physician Damon Raskin, MD, told the Post the risk for anaphylaxis is low.

“The risk of anaphylaxis from bee stings in the general population is quite low. In my practice, I have many more patients who have had severe allergic reactions to medications or foods. Many patients have had local reactions to bee stings, such as pain, redness or swelling at the site of the sting, but this should not be confused with anaphylaxis, which involves swelling of the throat, difficulty breathing and is life threatening. Although quite rare, those who have had severe reactions to bees, or any other substance for that matter, should be trained to have and use an epinephrine pen in an emergency situation,” Raskin said.

Other citizens have voiced concerns about bees swarming.

Matina Donaldson-Matasci, a biology instructor specializing in honeybee behavior at Harvey Mudd College, described what a swarm is and explained that they don’t occur when bees are monitored by beekeepers.

“Swarms are a natural part of a bee lifecycle. It’s when a colony splits off to find a new place to live. With beekeepers, swarming typically doesn’t happen because the beekeeper will introduce a new queen to a new box, but in the wild swarming happens freely,” Donaldson-Matasci said.

The professor added that honeybees are very docile and urged people to get informed about the issues facing the bee population and how humans have contributed to their decline.

Beekeeping supporters say the fears about backyard beekeeping stem from misinformation.

Palisadian Laura Mack, Chair of the Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance, said the impact of legalized beekeeping on the Palisades is likely to be barely noticed, noting that the community already has an estimated 200 to 250 feral colonies in place.

According to Mack, the City of Santa Monica, which legalized residential beekeeping in 2011, currently has just seven registered hives in place.

“The Palisades, with a population less than a third the size of Santa Monica, is unlikely to see the addition of more than a handful of managed hives – and can only benefit from the services they would offer,” Mack told the Post.

City Planning’s Peterson said she understands that some people may have fears about beekeeping in residential areas, “but the regulations are there for the neighbors and we want people to keep in mind how many cities have approved backyard beekeeping with no problems.”

Peterson and Chelsea McFarland, who is the co-founder of the nonprofit HoneyLove, both said they would sit down with Palisadians as often as necessary to address individual concerns with the ordinance and beekeeping in general.

“We will meet with each person who has fears and have an open discussion. Just let us know,” McFarland said.

The mission at HoneyLove, which is behind the push for urban beekeeping, is to protect honeybees and educate new urban beekeepers.

“We have always had a positive experience in the Palisades. This is the first time we’ve ever had a spark,” McFarland said.

In addition to worries about safety, some Palisadians have expressed  concerns about what they see as a lack of regulations currently stated in the ordinance.

Peterson said that the ordinance is still in the initial stages of the approval process and that there is plenty of time for changes to be made and voices to be heard.

“During each round of drafting and referral, we are instructed to research further and make amends to make the community comfortable,” Peterson said.

Peterson is currently working on a 30-page report that will be submitted to the City Planning Commission for the May 14 hearing.

She said the ordinance drafted for the city of LA is unique to the city’s character and was carefully written after speaking to scientists, bee behavior experts and other cities with approved beekeeping ordinances.

“We looked at specifics of each city and researched till we found parameters that worked for LA,” Peterson said. “The city planner of Santa Monica hasn’t had any major problems since introducing the ordinance and has in fact started beekeeping himself.”

The public is invited to the City Planning hearing on May 14 at 8:30 a.m. at LA City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Room 350.

To receive updates about the progress of the beekeeping ordinance, sign up for email alerts at plancheckncla.com. To learn more about beekeeping in LA, visit: losangelescountybeekeepers.com.