The money is intended to help farmers, farm workers and rural communities.
Mr. Obama held a roundtable in Firebaugh, about 45 minutes west of Fresno. Valley Public Radio's Rebecca Plevin spoke with a fourth-generation farmer there today and says money isn't enough.
"They don’t need financial aid right now; what they need is water. And he says that in the short term, they need to start pumping water from the Delta; and in the long term, they really need more water storage," reports Plevin.
The President is also visiting a farm in Los Banos this afternoon.
Joining him on the trip are California Governor Jerry Brown, U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and Congressman Jim Costa.
President Barack Obama speaks to the media on California's drought situation Friday, Feb. 14, 2014 in Los Banos, Calif. (Wally Skalij/ AP Photo, Los Angeles Times)
CapRadio's Drought Coverage
Drought In California Seems Inevitable. But Experts Say Don’t Panic.
March 1, 2020Parts of California just witnessed the driest February ever, and there’s around an 80 percent chance the state will enter a full-blown drought this year. If that happens, it could be the third-driest year in just over a century.
California's Dry October Could Be A Sign Of More Concentrated Rainy Seasons
October 29, 2018When it comes to rain and snow most of California is running below average this year, and little is forecast in the near future.
.jpg&width=186&height=140&constrain=true&pad=true&BgColor=cccccc "Tahoe Environmental Research Center boat captain Brant Allen lowers a Secchi disk from the research vessel into Lake Tahoe. The disk has been used for more than 50 years to measure water clarity at the lake.")
Extreme Weather Dropped Lake Tahoe Clarity To Historic Lows In 2017
June 13, 2018If you spent time on the water at Lake Tahoe last year and thought it looked a lot cloudier, you're right. UC Davis researchers say extreme weather — drought followed by heavy rains — caused clarity in 2017 to drop to its lowest recorded level.
Dry Spell Raises Fears Of Drought's Return In California
January 3, 2018(AP) — Despite dry conditions in much of the state, water managers say it's too early for fears that California is sliding back into drought as abruptly as the state fell out of it.
Caltrans Marking, Removing Dead Trees Along State Highways
August 22, 2017Caltrans is worried about the possibility of dead trees falling onto some California highways. The agency has already removed 107,000 trees. Now the agency is getting ready to remove another 54,000 trees, including some on private land.
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.