The California Department of Public Health has filed a lawsuit against El Dorado County and the city of Placerville over "unlawful ordinances" the local governments have in place to ban syringe exchange programs.The suit, dated March 5, states that syringe exchange programs operate across the state as harm reduction programs with the aim of reducing bloodborne pathogens like HIV and hepatitis. In 2005, the California Legislature enacted the Clean Needle Syringe and Exchange Project, which allowed cities and counties to authorize syringe exchanges in their jurisdictions. However, in 2011, the Legislature amended the section to allow the state health department to authorize syringe exchange programs in any locale.Last December, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance that prohibits syringe exchange or distribution programs within unincorporated portions of the county.The lawsuit alleges that the state health department was already working to enact a syringe exchange program in the county. After the ordinance was passed, the program was set to move to Placerville. That's when the city council of Placerville adopted an urgent ordinance to prohibit syringe exchange programs, according to the suit. The ordinance also made it unlawful to participate in such a program.The suit states under California's Constitution, a county or city can make laws or ordinances, as long as they do not conflict with any general or state laws.El Dorado County's District Attorney Vern Pierson is pushing back. "This lawsuit is madness," Pierson said in a statement. In a press release, the DA's office said needle exchange programs have proven to cause more harm than good."This road to hell via good intentions has been paved over the past several years by California's governor and his administration's insistence on normalizing hard-core drug use," Pierson said. "The consequence has been increased overdose deaths, drug addiction, homelessness, and rampant property crime." "I will fight against tooth and nail because the citizens of this county deserve policies that will keep them as safe as possible," Pierson said.KCRA 3 has reached out to the California Department of Public Health for a statement.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.