A judge has ordered a halt to a statewide program of spraying pesticides on public lands and some private property, saying California officials are required to assess the potential health effects of spraying projects in advance and have failed to do so. The ruling by Sacramento County Superior Court Judge James Arguelles follows a state appeals court’s decision in October that found the state Department of Food and Agriculture “significantly” understated the amount of pesticide it uses and failed to provide protections for waterways and for bees and other pollinators that can be harmed by the chemicals.