California lawmakers, whose districts are devastated by catastrophic flooding and face more flooding as historic snowpack melts, urged Governor Newsom to dedicate $100 million to San Joaquin River floodplain restoration and $100 million to provide disaster relief. This funding is needed to help California recover from its current disaster and prevent future catastrophic flooding.
Below and attached is a copy of their letter.
April 25, 2023
The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Governor, State of California
1021 O Street, Suite 9000
Sacramento, CA 95814
Re: Protection of Flood Prone Communities
Dear Governor Newsom:
We are writing to urge you to dedicate $100 million to restore previous and current year funding that was diverted and cut from San Joaquin River floodplain restoration, and we ask that you commit an additional $100 million to provide disaster relief to devastated counties.
Eliminating millions of dollars for flood protection projects now invites hundreds of billions of dollars of flood damage in the near future. If California does not invest in flood protection now, it will pay a much higher price in the loss of economic activity, the cost to rebuild, and the lives of residents.
California has the largest snowpack in recorded history, exceeding 400 percent of the historical average in the Tulare Lake Basin. When this snowpack melts, it could cause even more flooding and destruction. Experts estimate that a worst-case flood could cause over $1 trillion in damages and threaten communities.
Restoring floodplains is a critical and cost-effective flood prevention tool. As water levels in rivers rise due to rain and snowmelt, floodplains offer opportunities to divert that water to mitigate flooding. Floodplains allow water to flow outside of a river’s main channel and temporarily store it to prevent damage. They also provide space for recreation, habitat for wildlife, and can recharge groundwater to improve water supplies. Floodplains will help protect exposed vulnerable communities.
There are shovel-ready projects across the state that will restore floodplains. Cutting funding will have devastating impacts to flood prone communities. These communities are suffering from school closures, lack of running water, destruction of farms, and deaths of loved ones. As recent storms illustrated, flood are destructive; the economic damage and loss of life is catastrophic.
While we are supportive of your recent executive order to support critical Tulare Lake Basin flood response and recovery efforts, the state needs more resources to prevent future disasters. Hence, our request for you to include $100 million for San Joaquin River floodplain restoration and $100 million for disaster relief in your budget.
Sincerely,
Vince Fong
Assemblymember, 32nd District
Robert Rivas
Assemblymember, 29th District
Jim Patterson
Assemblymember, 8th District
Heath Flora
Assemblymember, 9th District
Juan Alanis
Assemblymember, 22nd District
Gail Pellerin
Assemblymember, 28th District
Dawn Addis
Assemblymember, 30th District
Devon Mathis
Assemblymember, 33rd District
Tom Lackey
Assemblymember, 34th District
Jasmeet Bains
Assemblymember, 35th District
Freddie Rodriguez
Assemblymember, 53rd District
Marie Waldron
Assemblymember, 75th District
# # #
Contact
Nghia.Nguyen@asm.ca.gov
916-813-8367
Assemblyman Vince Fong represents the 32nd Assembly District, which encompasses Kern and Tulare Counties.