President Barack Obama will make his first visit to the Central Valley today, bringing a posse of politicians with him to talk about California’s record-breaking drought.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 91.6 percent of California is experiencing severe to exceptional drought.
Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT
Obama is expected to arrive in Air Force One at Fresno Yosemite International Airport at 2:30 p.m. With him will be other federal dignitaries including, the Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and Rep. Jim Costa.
While Obama has visited other parts of California, Dr Thomas Holyoke said this visit will be a different experience for the president.
“He’ll see a much different side of California than you would see in the Bay Area or Southern California,” he said. “A much more rural and much poorer part of California, that some would describe as the Appalachia of the West, and therefore an area of California in need of more aid from government than the coastal parts, and perhaps in more need of aid than it actually gets.”
Earlier this month, Central Valley Republican Rep. David Valadao’s drought bill was passed by the House of Representatives amid Democratic concern and the threat of a presidential veto.
In response, Feinstein and Boxer unveiled their own drought bill Tuesday.
However, the Obama Administration isn’t waiting for Congress, Vilsack said.
“Rather than wait for congressional action, what we’re going to try to do is try to put the resources that are available, that we have control over, to use as quickly as possible,” he said.
Obama recently directed the Department of Agriculture to streamline livestock disaster assistance for California producers.
“The president has been very clear to me and the DA that he wants this done so people can start applying within 60 days,” Vilsack said.
Members of the public will be hard-pressed to see the president though, since none of his stops in the Valley will be open to the public.
“He’ll have an opportunity to observe the impact on the ground,” Vilsack said. “He’ll offer a message of hope, and a message that the Federal government will do all that it can to try and alleviate some of the stress connected with this drought.”
During his visit, Obama will use Marine One, the presidential helicopter, to travel to locations in Central California to meet with local leaders and farmers.
Obama will make two stops during his visit. The first will be at 3:15 p.m. in Firebaugh where he will take part in a roundtable discussion with community leaders at the San Luis Water District.
The other will be in Los Banos. At 4:15 p.m., Obama is scheduled to tour a farm in the city for 15 minutes, then deliver remarks on California’s record-breaking drought.
Obama will then return to Fresno Yosemite International Airport where he is expected to leave Fresno by 5:35 p.m. After his stop in Fresno, he will head to the Palm Springs area to meet with the King of Jordan, Adullah II.