Some Sacramento residents want their homeowner’s association to stop using a controversial weed killer on the grounds surrounding their homes because they fear it could make them sick.Roundup’s maker, Monsanto, has been ordered to pay out millions of dollars in California lawsuits that allege the product has caused or contributed to cancer. There are thousands of suits still pending across the country. In the Campus Commons neighborhood, off Howe Avenue and across the American River from Sacramento State, residents are asking the Nepenthe Homeowner’s Association to stop using the herbicide.“I’d like them to stop using it,” 14-year resident Laraine Silberstein said.Frustrated with their ongoing fight, the neighbors said they want something done to help keep everyone who lives here from getting sick.“I don’t want to be in a position to sue Monsanto after I get cancer. I want to fight tooth and nail before I get cancer,” resident Erol Karagozoglu said.Last month, Silberstein’s attorney sent a letter to the Nepenthe Homeowner’s Association, asking them to discontinue using Roundup near her home. The letter cites federal case law and says the product is known to cause several forms of lymphoma. According to the letter, 37 California cities restrict or ban the use of Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate. “It’s supposed to be a weed killer but it destroys everything else around it,” Silberstein said.Two weeks later, an attorney for the HOA sent a letter saying the association is “not justified in taking the requested action and will continue to rely on the expertise of its landscape maintenance contractors … to determine the most effective and safest herbicides.”The letter cites three California cases with rulings against Roundup’s manufacturer but goes on to say, “the plaintiffs in each case were directly involved in the application of the product.”The response was disappointing, Silberstein said.“I was really upset because I really felt that a homeowner’s agency should err on the side of the people that are living here and their health concerns,” she said.Campus Commons residents said they want the HOA to explore safer, organic alternatives; tell residents how the difference in price will impact their fees; and then take a vote to see how many owners are in favor of other options.“It’s extremely unfortunate that we are not given any choice but just one that is to move away,” Karagozoglu said.Residents are not giving up the fight. They have already contacted the Sacramento City Council and they plan to hold a resident meeting on Thursday. KCRA 3 reached out to the Nepenthe Homeowner’s Association for a comment. The HOA did not respond before this story was published.