Just a week removed from Gov.Arnold Schwarzenegger’s visit to the Valley, where he vowed to take the water issue to President Obama, members of the state's Department of Food and Agriculture met in Mendota to speak with city and county officials to discuss the impact of the drought on communities in the Central Valley.
The California State Board of Food and Agriculture convened a meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss the statewide drought.
The meeting, held at the Mendota High School, provided a platform for officials to voice their struggles with water shortages.
Mendota Mayor Robert Mendota said that things will change as long as everyone bands together to build a strong case. “It’s very critical that everyone give their testimony to either private sectors, city sector, or to the farmworker’s sector to gather information for what the Gov. should be doing at the federal level.”
In a report released by the board, Food and Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura stated that the San Joaquin Valley water limitations have been drastic.
“The continuing impacts of water delivery limitations on San Joaquin Valley communities are dramatic,” said Kawamura. “We must create a long term solution that creates a reliable water supply for California.”
Last month, a study conducted at the UC Davis found that Central Valley farm revenues lost an estimated $630 million and 35,000 jobs because of the drought.
In addition, approximately 450,000 acres of farmland that would typically be farmed have not been fallowed. The loss of income from the drought has been estimated at $830 million, according to the report.
In the last few months, Mendota has come to be known as the epicenter of the drought. The impacts of the lack of water have resulted in Western Fresno County’s worst rate of unemployment. At nearly 42 percent of its population out of work, the small farming community has been hardest.
“There has been commentary that a water crisis does not exist and that the impacts in the Central Valley are minimal,” said Al Montna, President of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture in a report released by the board. “As we visit Mendota, the epicenter of this regulatory drought, and hear from farmers and community leaders we hope to better inform this viewpoint.”
