SANTA CRUZ -- Leaders in this coastal town voted to join a legal battle to keep the state from spraying pesticides aimed at halting the spread of an invasive moth.

In a 4-3 vote Tuesday night, the Santa Cruz City Council approved a measure to join a lawsuit a Monterey Bay environmental group filed against the state last week claiming agricultural officials didn't prepare an environmental impact report ensuring the treatment was safe for families and aquatic life.

The measure also proposed an alternative option to file for an injunction in the local Superior Court.

Santa Cruz and neighboring communities infested with the light brown apple moth are scheduled to be sprayed with droplets of a synthetic pheromone mixture to disrupt the moth's mating cycle between Nov. 4-9.

Communities farther south along the Monterey Bay were sprayed last month and a second round there could begin Wednesday night.

Food and Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura told residents the state has completed similar eradication programs without harm, and warned that growers would face severe losses if the infestation continued unchecked.

"I've heard you say that there's 'no evidence' that it will cause harm," Councilman Tony Madrigal fired back. "But I haven't heard you say, 'Yes, this is safe."'