Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the extreme winter storms that continue to batter California and the West Coast, leaving some Californians stranded in their homes and communities across the State with damaged infrastructure. Approximately 16 million people have been impacted in recent weeks. Last week, Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency for 13 counties, including Tulare County, which I represent, and other important areas. State officials estimate damage costs could surpass $1 billion. California's snowpack is approaching record levels in California's Sierra Nevada. In most cases, that would be good news. Officials believe this may rival the 1982-1983 snow year. However, this is good news for a State that has suffered long-term drought that forced residents to cut usage and ration water, farmers to fallow hundreds of thousands of acres of productive land, and left landowners with a record number of dry wells in the Central Valley. That was just a few months ago. However, now the situation has changed. We now have to do a better job of managing in real time long-term water regulations that aren't working. We need to be better prepared to avoid what happened in communities like Planada and others where flooding damaged farms and displaced farmworkers. That is why we need to fast-track improvements to our water infrastructure, using every tool in our water toolbox to divert water to recharge overdrafted aquifers.…”