American Notes CALIFORNIA

When word came last week that six enemy helicopters were approaching the city, Pasadena police scrambled one of their own choppers to warn the intruders away. Though no shots were fired and the opposing whirlybirds never came closer than a half-mile from each other, the aerial confrontation underscored a tense standoff between state and local officials in Southern California over efforts to control an infestation of Mediterranean fruit flies.

Despite assurances that the insecticide poses no threat to humans, many people object to the state's program of spraying malathion from helicopters over a 400-sq.-mi. area that includes Los Angeles and Orange counties. Last week Pasadena passed an ordinance that effectively outlaws spraying within city limits by prohibiting aircraft from flying at altitudes of less than 700 ft. Despite the objections, Governor George Deukmejian plans to continue the spraying. Pasadena is considering filing misdemeanor charges against the pilots involved in the anti-medfly mission.