Ensuring Valley families and farmers have access to a reliable, clean water supply has always been my top priority in Washington. This week, I went to the House floor to discuss the urgent need to build more water storage infrastructure to capture rainwater in wet years like this one. Watch my full remarks here or below:

I also discussed my bill, the WATER for California Act, which passed the House as part of the 2024 Energy and Water Appropriations bill. I urge the Senate to keep these provisions in the bill and get this across the finish line.

This weekend, we honor the brave men and women who have served our nation at home and abroad. California’s 22^nd Congressional District is home to thousands of veterans, and I consider it an honor and a privilege to represent them in Congress. America owes our veterans a debt that can never be repaid, and I’ll never stop fighting to ensure they receive the care and services they deserve.

This week marked one month since Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack against Israel began. I joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers for a candlelight vigil to mourn the lives lost and honor the hostages still being held in Gaza by Hamas. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues against terrorism and in support of our ally, Israel.

Our question this week comes from William in Bakersfield. He asks:

How can I better understand the purpose of this legislative effort and what it is hoped to achieve, particularly that part related to the 2019 BiOps?

Thank you for your question, William. The biological opinions essentially act as a roadmap for how the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP) can operate – meaning they inform when and how much water the CVP and SWP are able to pump at certain points of the water year. The Endangered Species Act requires a federal agency to work with relevant fishery service agencies to ensure their operations plans don’t jeopardize listed species. A Biological Opinion (BiOps) summarizes this work.

The 2019 BiOps were the product of a consultation that started in 2016 under the Obama Administration, and independently peer-reviewed and informed by the most accurate, best available science. The corresponding operations plans for the Central Valley Project and State Water Project employ the 2019 BiOps science and data to ensure greater water reliability and availability for communities and farms across California, while continuing to protect at-risk species. Unfortunately, the Biden administration’s Bureau of Reclamation has ignored science and reinitiated consultation of these BiOps with no explanation, despite multiple requests for transparency. The reconslutation of the 2019 BiOps has caused significant uncertainty for Central Valley farmers about the future of their water supply, and I’ve led several efforts to obtain answers from Interior about their attempts to reverse them. The WATER for California Act would require the CVP and SWP be operated consistent with the 2019 BiOps to provide long-term certainty for our farmers and down-stream communities.

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