Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Ahead of ‘big melt,’ lawmakers ask Newsom to pay up for flood response
Lawmakers want Gov. Gavin Newsom to devote an additional $200 million to flooding in the San Joaquin Valley as their districts recover from flood damage and face down the new threat of rapidly melting snow in the southern Sierra Nevada. A group of 12 bipartisan members of the state assembly requested the funding for disaster relief in a letter Tuesday, citing the need for greater emergency response to flooding and more investment in protection efforts long term. … In his January budget proposal, Newsom cut $40 million for floodplain restoration projects in the San Joaquin Valley, which allow for rivers to flood in strategic places during storms or snowmelt, reducing the risks downstream and benefiting ecosystems.
Related articles:
- Los Angeles Times: A race against time in California town: Floodwaters rising, snow melting, worst still to come
- CalMatters: Will California’s Big Melt be a slow-moving disaster?
- ABC 30 – Fresno: Governor Newsom discusses planning and response to historic flooding in the South Valley
- KQED – San Francisco: Southern Central Valley Counties Brace for Flooding as Heat Wave Melts Sierra Snowpack
- KVPR – Fresno-Bakersfield: This is the week California’s ‘big melt’ begins to accelerate
- Fresno Bee: ‘Surreal’ scenes greet Gavin Newsom on visit to Corcoran and flooded Tulare Lake
- Peninsula 360 Press: California must manage drought and floods at the same time