Originally Posted by Analise
When we crossed into CA on I-10 we noticed that there seemed to be what looked like a border check. What on earth? Why does CA treat AZ like a foreign country in need of some kind of border patrol? It seemed to be some kind of agricultural border patrol. Does the interstate commerce clause get tossed out the window? What's up with that? We didn't experience that in AZ when we were en route to Phoenix.
There are sixteen border inspection stations for State Agricultural Inspection on major highways throughout California but due to budget cutbacks several of the smaller ones have been abandoned. Their mission is to protect our state's agricultural and natural resources against damage caused by exotic plant pests and diseases Since agriculture is such a huge part of California's economy, and is one of the world's greatest resources of food, the importance of protecting this industry makes some sense.
I found some interesting statistics, albeit a bit old. In 2000, more than 33.5 million private and commercial vehicles were monitored at these stations. Some 70 thousand lots of prohibited plant material were intercepted; these are typically infested with pests or not certified for entry into California. Reportedly some of the finds included the gypsy moth, imported fire ants, Mexican and Oriental fruit fly, musk thistle, and more.