The House Natural Resources Committee held a field hearing in the epicenter of the drought stricken San Joaquin Valley yesterday to hear testimony from farmers affected by California’s water crisis. The hearing was preceded by a rally attended by hundreds on the steps of the Fresno City Hall.
The panel convened in Fresno at the behest of Rep. David Valadao who requested that a hearing be held on the water reform legislation he previously introduced. According The Fresno Bee, even though “Valadao’s bill does not address the Endangered Species Act, farmers, could not pass up the opportunity to discuss their frustration with it.”