Following November's election, congressional representatives from the San Joaquin Valley are becoming increasingly influential in Washington. From House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's efforts to pass a bill that aims to divert more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and deliver it to valley farmers, to Rep. Devin Nunes' role in President-elect Donald Trump's transition team, local leaders are in the national headlines.
On Valley Edition we spoke with McClatchy Washington correspondent Michael Doyle about the role Nunes played in recommending retired Marine Corps General James Mattis for nomination as Mr. Trump's Secretary of Defense. We also discussed the implications of the new water legislation that is now on President Obama's desk, and the political maneuvering from McCarthy and Senator Dianne Feinstein that led to its passage.