California Governor Jerry Brown toured the World Ag Expo in Tulare Wednesday and weighed into the debate between competing House and Senate plans for response to the state’s drought. Brown says Republicans and Democrats need to find common ground on a bill that will benefit all Californians.
Brown: “This is not a time for rhetoric or the cheesy partisanship we often see in Washington. I’m trying to be the governor of the whole state, bringing people together, get the water in the short term, long term, but when God doesn’t provide the water, it’s not here.”
Last week House Republicans approved a bill that would allow increased delta pumping and remove environmental protections for threatened species like the Delta smelt. Senate Democrats countered with their own bill on Tuesday that would bring $300 million in drought relief, but would leave the Endangered Species Act restrictions on pumping intact.
Brown says the Washington plays an important role in California’s water system.
Brown: “We need the federal government to invest in water projects. And what we need here in California is to make sure we can protect the quality of water, that we use it as efficiently as possible, we have the best technology. And we [need to] come to terms with the fact that we’re not just Central California, we’re Northern California, we’re Southern California. And people think very differently, they want lots of different conflicting ideas.”
Brown also planned to meet with law enforcement and educational officials during his trip to Tulare.