McCarthy slammed by Newsom for ignoring home district amid flooding
Misty Severi
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Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) slammed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and one of his California colleagues in a letter on Thursday, accusing them of ignoring a flooding disaster set to affect their constituents.
Newsom claimed that McCarthy and Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) were notified last month that some of their constituents were in the path of destruction from a flood originating from melted snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains, according to the Hill.
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“While Congress failed to act, the state is stepping up with up to $17 million in assistance to raise the Corcoran levee to an elevation of 192 feet and reduce the likelihood of disaster,” Newsom wrote in the letter.
“I would urge you both, along with your colleagues in Congress, to work with California to address the urgent needs of your own constituents and help solve real problems facing real people in real time.”
He continued: “Our job is to serve the people we were elected to represent and to ensure we are doing everything in our power to keep our fellow Californians safe.”
Valadao said that he was disappointed that the flood was being politicized. He claimed that his office was in contact with state, local, and federal officials to aid in the response operations.
“In your letter, you wrote Congress ‘failed to act.’ As you know, Congress cannot wave a magic wand and write a blank check,” Valadao tweeted on Thursday.
“As I have said publicly, I am grateful for Gavin Newsom’s attention to this very serious issue and am doing everything I can at the federal level to support state and local efforts to raise the Corcoran Levee. The Central Valley is my home — I care about my community and the people who live here. Flood response and ensuring the safety of my constituents is not political and never should be.”
The Corcoran levee is in a spot in the Central Valley that meteorologists have repeatedly warned was prone to flooding from melted snow. Newsom revised his budget proposal last week to include funds that would allow him to raise the levee.
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Newsom has touted the levee as an important safeguard of the state, because it protects “critical infrastructure, including large correctional and medical facilities, and public safety.”
Newsom’s letter comes after the state witnessed a surprisingly cold winter earlier this year, with Los Angeles witnessing a rare snowstorm.