In honor of Police Week, I welcomed deputies from the Tulare County Sheriff's Office to Washington. We spoke about my work in Congress as their representative and I gave them a behind-the-scenes tour of the U.S. Capitol. I'll always support our local law enforcement, and it was great to thank these deputies in person for their service to our communities.

On Wednesday, I had a productive conversation with representatives from Western Growers and specialty crop producers from the Central Valley. We discussed my efforts on the House Appropriations Committee to support our growers, including the Specialty Crop Block Grants provision I introduced in the Agriculture Appropriations funding bill. I also highlighted key specialty crop priorities included in the Farm Bill, like expanding access to crop insurance and strengthening pest control research. As we continue working to move these bills across the finish line, I remain committed to advocating for Central Valley growers and the communities that depend on them.

On Wednesday, I met with representatives from Sunrun—the largest provider of residential solar power systems—to discuss their operations in the Central Valley. We spoke about how distributed power plants are meeting our grid challenges and the importance of strong grid capacity. Ensuring our region has enough energy to meet the growing demand is one of my top priorities, and I'll continue advocating for all-of-the-above energy solutions.

This week, I met with representatives from the Port of Long Beach, which is the second busiest port in the United States and handles over $300 billion in trade each year. During our conversation, they shared plans to develop the port's first green truck corridor—an initiative that will help accelerate the transition to a cleaner, zero-emission supply chain connecting Long Beach and the Central Valley. I applaud their commitment to advancing more sustainable freight transportation and look forward to continuing our partnership to achieve this important goal.

This week, Team Valadao met with groups across Kings County, including the Board of Supervisors, District Attorney, Office of Emergency Services, 4-H Community Education Specialist, and University of California Cooperative Extension. They were updated on public health, community safety initiatives, agricultural education, and emergency disaster response efforts. Later, they attended the Kings County Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony to honor the courageous men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting our communities. Then, my staff attended the Healthcare Month Celebration hosted by Adventist Health in Hanford, honoring the dedication and hard work of our Central Valley healthcare professionals. Team Valadao also met with Shelly Magana, 4-H Regional Program Director, to discuss the several initiatives that prepare young leaders for success.

In Tulare County, my staff attended the Board of Supervisors meeting, Office of Education Groundbreaking, and met with the Tulare Kings Hispanic Chamber’s new Executive Director, Elaine Carrasco. While in Pixley, the team met with Pixley Unified School District’s Executive Assistant, Amy Beck, new Pixley Elementary School Principal, Wayne Hernandez, and Pixley Community Meetings Organizer, Teresa Lewis. Later, Team Valadao visited Pixley Public Utility District and met with the Lower Tule and Pixley Irrigation District Resources Manager, Travis Millwee, to discuss the status of drinking water, contamination risks, and groundwater allocations. 

Later in Kern County, Team Valadao attended the Trucordia 20th Anniversary ribbon cutting celebration and Peace Officers Memorial Ceremonies hosted by the Bakersfield Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and Kern County Sheriff’s Office. My staff also presented a Congressional Record to the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Bakersfield in recognition of its 80th anniversary. After, my team met with Shafter City Manager Lance Lippincott, and then finished the week presenting Certificates of Recognition to Wasco High School students who participated in SkillsUSA.

Trying to get an answer from a federal agency can often be a time-consuming and frustrating process. If you ever need help navigating a federal agency, you can visit my website or call my Hanford office at (559) 460-6070. My team is ready to assist you!

Tratar de obtener una respuesta de una agencia federal a menudo puede ser un proceso frustrante y que requiere mucho tiempo. Si alguna vez necesita ayuda con una agencia federal, puede visitar mi sitio de web aquí o llamar a mi oficina de Hanford al (559) 460-6070. ¡Mi equipo está listo para ayudarte!

Did you know you can now sign up for texts from my office to stay up to date on my work in Washington D.C.? To sign up to receive updates from me directly to your phone, just text VALADAO to (559) 387-4346 and you will be automatically subscribed. You can also sign up for text alerts using this form here.  

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