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Sen. Kamala Harris took time out during the congressional recess this month for a listening tour through California. On Wednesday, she visited the Central Valley, where the freshman senator toured a citrus-packing facility on the outskirts of Fresno. After sampling a mandarin orange and proclaiming it “delicious,” Harris sat down with two dozen people connected with the Central Valley’s multibillion-dollar agricultural industry to get their take on the federal farm bill and learn about other issues concerning them. Water was top-of-mind for many of the speakers. Jason Phillips runs the Friant Water Authority.

Agricultural leaders and farmers pressed their case for a reliable water supply, immigration reform and their fair share of the Farm Bill during a roundtable discussion with Sen. Kamala Harris on Wednesday. Harris is the former attorney general who won election last November in the race to replace outgoing Democrat Barbara Boxer. Harris is touring California this week, made good on her promise to visit the Valley to get a better understanding of the region’s needs, including its most powerful economic engine, agriculture.

 

California’s 2017-2018 fiscal year budget includes $17 million in allocations to tackle the Golden State’s drinking water crisis’ immediate needs, the Community Water Center reported. The drinking water advocacy group also called for state officials to seek long-term, sustainable funding sources for the state’s water systems. In a separate announcement, the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation announced seven grants for projects around California, including one in the Central Valley.

The drought may be over in the minds of urban Californians, quite literally washed away by huge accumulations of rain last year that filled reservoirs and left the state’s mountains covered with snow even now. But the farmers and others in the Central Valley, veterans of multiple drought-and-flood cycles, know the reprieve is only temporary. On Wednesday they pressed new U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris to work to ensure a more reliable source of water for the nation’s most bountiful farming region.

 

Thousands of excited snowboarders and skiers took advantage of the snow in Squaw Valley over the holiday weekend, as slopes remained open thanks to the huge snowfall this year. The warm weather, paired with “corn snow” —  the snow consistency that is the more desirable pellet-type favored for beginners — made for a great atmosphere as people took to the slopes. “The snow is very soft and forgiving, so it’s great for beginners and intermediates,” said Sam Kieckhefer, spokesman for Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows. “You’re coming out in a t-shirt and shorts, and it’s warm — you don’t have to worry about getting cold.”