Package includes billions for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, with a focus on small and disadvantaged communities

Part of the Governor’s $100 billion California Comeback Plan, a comprehensive recovery plan to tackle five of the state’s most persistent challenges

Governor Gavin Newsom today proposed a $5.1 billion package of immediate drought response and long-term water resilience investments to address immediate, emergency needs, build regional capacity to endure drought and safeguard water supplies for communities, the economy and the environment. The Governor’s proposal comes as part of a week-long tour highlighting the Administration’s comprehensive recovery plan tackling the most persistent challenges facing California.  

“Shoring up our water resilience, especially in small and disadvantaged communities, is imperative to safeguarding the future of our state in the face of devastating climate change impacts that are intensifying drought conditions and threatening our communities, the economy and the environment,” said Governor Newsom. “This package of bold investments will equip the state with the tools we need to tackle the drought emergency head-on while addressing long-standing water challenges and helping to secure vital and limited water supplies to sustain our state into the future.”

In addition to the $5.1 billion investment, the Governor is proposing $1 billion to help Californians pay their overdue water bills. 

The Governor announced the package today in Merced County while visiting the San Luis Reservoir, which sits at less than half of capacity and just 57 percent of average for this date. Earlier in the day, Governor Newsom significantly expanded his April 21 drought emergency proclamation to include Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Tulare Lake Watershed counties. In total, 41 counties are now under a drought state of emergency, representing 30 percent of the state’s population.

The Governor’s $5.1 billion proposed investment, over four years, aligns with his July 2020 Water Resilience Portfolio, a roadmap to water security for all Californians in the face of climate change. It is shaped by lessons learned during the 2012-16 drought, such as the need to act early and gather better data about water systems. The package includes:

• $1.3 billion for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, with a focus on small and disadvantaged communities. 
• $150 million for groundwater cleanup and water recycling projects. 
• $300 million for Sustainable Groundwater Management Act implementation to improve water supply security, water quality and water reliability. 
• $200 million for water conveyance improvements to repair major water delivery systems damaged by subsidence. 
• $500 million for multi-benefit land repurposing to provide long-term, flexible support for water users. 
• $230 million for wildlife corridor and fish passage projects to improve the ability of wildlife to migrate safely. 
• $200 million for habitat restoration to support tidal wetland, floodplain, and multi-benefit flood-risk reduction projects. 
• $91 million for critical data collection to repair and augment the state’s water data infrastructure to improve forecasting, monitoring, and assessment of hydrologic conditions. 
• $60 million for State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program grants to help farmers reduce irrigation water use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural pumping. 
• $33 million for fisheries and wildlife support to protect and conserve California’s diverse ecosystems. 
• $27 million for emergency and permanent solutions to drinking water drought emergencies.

Learn more about current conditions, the state’s response and informational resources available to the public at the state’s new drought preparedness website.

41 counties now under drought state of emergency to protect communities and the environment, representing 30 percent of the state’s population

Governor Gavin Newsom today significantly expanded his April 21 drought emergency proclamation to include the Klamath River, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and Tulare Lake Watershed counties, where accelerated action is needed to protect public health, safety and the environment. In total, 41 counties are now under a drought state of emergency, representing 30 percent of the state’s population.

Climate change-induced early warm temperatures and extremely dry soils have further depleted the expected runoff water from the Sierra-Cascade snowpack, resulting in historic and unanticipated reductions in the amount of water flowing to major reservoirs, especially in Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Tulare Lake Watershed counties.

“With the reality of climate change abundantly clear in California, we’re taking urgent action to address acute water supply shortfalls in northern and central California while also building our water resilience to safeguard communities in the decades ahead,” said Governor Newsom. “We’re working with local officials and other partners to protect public health and safety and the environment, and call on all Californians to help meet this challenge by stepping up their efforts to save water.” 

In April, Governor Newsom signed an emergency proclamation directing state agencies to take immediate action to bolster drought resilience across the state and declaring a State of Emergency in Mendocino and Sonoma counties due to severe drought conditions in the Russian River Watershed. Today, the Governor took action to ensure an expedited response to address acute drought impacts in Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Tulare Lake Watershed counties.

Today’s drought emergency proclamation adds the following 39 counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Siskiyou, Trinity, Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba counties. Additionally, the proclamation provides new authority for the existing drought emergency announced on April 21 for Mendocino and Sonoma counties.

Extraordinarily warm temperatures in April and early May separate this critically dry year from all others on California record. California experienced an accelerated rate of snow melt in the Sacramento, Feather and American River watersheds, which feed the major reservoirs of the state and federal water projects. This was exacerbated when much of the snowpack, sitting on very dry ground, seeped into the earth rather than flowing into our rivers and streams and into these reservoirs. Warming temperatures also prompted water diverters below the dams to withdraw their water much earlier and in greater volumes than typical even in other recent critically dry years. These factors reduced expected water supplies by more than 500,000 acre feet, enough to supply up to one million households with water for a year. The drastic reduction in water supplies means these reservoirs are extremely low for water users, including farmers, and fish and wildlife in the counties the drought proclamation covers.  

The Governor’s proclamation directs the State Water Board to consider modifying requirements for reservoir releases and diversion limitations to conserve water upstream later in the year to maintain water supply, improve water quality and protect cold water pools for salmon and steelhead. The state of emergency also enables flexibilities in regulatory requirements and procurement processes to mitigate drought impacts and directs state water officials to expedite the review and processing of voluntary transfers of water from one water right holder to another, enabling available water to flow where it is needed most. 

The text of today’s emergency proclamation can be found here. 

The Governor’s executive action last month directed state agencies to partner with local water suppliers to promote conservation through the Save Our Water campaign, a critical resources for Californians during the 2012-2016 drought. Some municipalities have already adopted mandatory local water-saving requirements, and many more have called for voluntary water use reductions. 

“It’s time for Californians to pull together once again to save water,” said California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “All of us need to find every opportunity to save water where we can: limit outdoor watering, take shorter showers, turn off the water while brushing your teeth or washing dishes. Homeowners, municipalities, and water diverters can help by addressing leaks and other types of water loss, which can account for over 30 percent of water use in some areas.” 

Actions by the Administration to address drought to date include: 

• Identifying water suppliers at extreme financial risk that may need additional support due to the combined impacts of COVID and drought. 
• Updating the Department of Water Resources’ Dry Well website, which tracks voluntarily reported supply issues by counties. 
• Streamlining water transfer processes. 
• Issuing letters from the State Water Resources Control Board to water right holders, urging them to plan for potential shortages by reducing water use and adopting practical conservation measures.  
• Completing the state’s first drinking water needs assessment in which the State Water Board identified small water systems and domestic wells that are failing or at risk of failing to meet the state’s drinking water standards. By working toward solutions with these systems, we are improving their drought resiliency.  

For more tips on saving water, visit www.saveourwater.com. 

Learn more about current conditions, the state’s response and informational resources available to the public at the state’s new drought preparedness website.

USDA News Release

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the availability of $92.2 million in competitive grant funding under the 2018 Farm Bill’s Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP). The LAMP grants announced today are funded through the Farmers Market program as part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative. USDA launched this initiative in March to address shortfalls and disparities in how assistance was distributed in previous COVID-19 assistance packages, with a specific focus on strengthening outreach to underserved producers and communities and small and medium agricultural operations. These grants support the development, coordination and expansion of direct producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets and enterprises and value-added agricultural products.

“We have an opportunity to transform our nation’s food system with a greater focus on resilient, local and regional food systems,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “These grants will help maximize opportunities for economic growth and ingenuity in local and regional food systems to kickstart this transformation. LAMP grants have a history of generating new income sources for small, beginning, veteran and socially disadvantaged farmers and creating new market opportunities for value-added and niche products.”

USDA encourages projects that assist underserved local and regional agricultural businesses, producer networks and associations, and local and tribal government in responding to COVID-19 disruptions and impacts. Funding is not contingent upon applicants directly addressing these issues.

The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring equity across the Department, removing barriers to access, and building inclusive programs for the agricultural sector. For grants intending to serve smaller farms and ranches, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, socially disadvantaged producers, veteran producers, and/or underserved communities, USDA encourages applicants engage and involve those beneficiaries when developing projects.

Increasing Local Food Access Through Direct and Intermediary Producer-to-Consumer Markets

USDA will award $76.9 million ($22.5 million in the 2018 Farm Bill, $47 million provided as emergency funding through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and $7.4 in annual appropriations) to FMLFPP. Projects under the Farmers Market Promotion Program support direct-to-consumer markets like farmers markets and CSAs. Projects under the Local Food Promotion Program supports indirect-to-consumer markets like food hubs and value-added product incubators.

Building Robust and Resilient Local and Regional Food Economies

USDA will award $15.3 million ($5 million in the 2018 Farm Bill and $10.3 provided as emergency funding through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021) to RFSP to fund public-private partnerships that build and strengthen viability and resilience of local or regional food economies. Projects focus on increase the availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products and alleviating unnecessary administrative and technical barriers. Projects can cover the planning and design of a local and regional food economy as well as implementing or expanding an existing one.

Application and Grant Eligibility

Applications undergo external expert peer review and the process is highly competitive. All grants require matching funds from community partners or stakeholders. The amounts and match amounts vary by program and are specified in the RFAs.

Applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due dates established in the respective Request for Applications (RFA’s). Any grant application submitted after the due date will not be considered unless the applicant provides documentation of an extenuating circumstance that prevented their timely submission of the grant application. Read more in AMS Late and Non-Responsive Application Policy (PDF, 431 KB).

For more information about grant eligibility and previously funded projects, visit the FMPP webpage, LFPP webpage or RFSP webpage or contact us at USDAFMPPQuestions@usda.gov, USDALFPPQuestions@usda.gov,or IPPGrants@usda.gov.

Technical Assistance

AMS offers RFA webinars for new applicants to help walk them through the RFA while also providing helpful hints on what has made past recipients successful. Additionally, Frequently Asked Questions are posted on the AMS Grants website, and grants management specialists are standing by to answer any incoming questions and emails during regular business hours.

The year 2020 brought many challenges that affected everyone, including the California agricultural industry. From securing personal protective equipment (PPE) in the fields and in production lines, to redirecting food from foodservice to retail, to ensuring food banks obtained enough food to feed those in need, the farming community in California rose to the challenge. This annual report will show that, in lockstep with the agricultural industry, the California Grown marketing program pivoted messaging and execution to meet consumers where they were during the pandemic. The campaign “Love, California” was reconstructed to better align with the messaging strategy during the pandemic. As a result, “We Love California” was launched. The “We Love California” campaign expressed gratitude for an agricultural sector that consistently worked through the pandemic to ensure a safe and stable food supply for families all over the country.

California Grown helps ensure consumers understand the value of buying California-grown agricultural products and what it brings to the state’s communities and economy. The Buy California Marketing Agreement, which manages California Grown, is the only agricultural marketing organization that promotes all California grown agricultural products. It is supported by 24 agricultural commissions, boards and associations, hundreds of farming families/companies, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and federal grants.

Read the 2020 annual report here

From the Department of Water Resources

The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is awarding funding support for six projects to address the impact of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). A total of $26 million in grant funding is being made available for the SGMA projects. The funding support comes from the Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program. Sixteen individual construction projects within Critically Overdrafted Basins will take place through the six grant awards.

The Fresno Irrigation District has been awarded nearly $4.9 million for Kings Basin 2021 GSP Implementation Projects. Mid-Kaweah GSA will use the $3.7 million grant for Kaweah Subbasin Groundwater Recharge and Sustainability Projects. The Southern Merced Subbasin Recharge Project overseen by the Merced Irrigation District will be supported by nearly $5 million. Madera County is receiving a combined $8.4 million for the East Madera Subbasin Recharge Project Phase 1 and Eastside Bypass Recharge for Subsidence and Flood Risk Reduction Phase 1. Westlands Water District GSA will receive nearly $4 million for the Pasajero Groundwater Recharge Project.

The SGMA projects include the construction of 60 wells in Fresno County to use stormwater to replenish diminished groundwater aquifers. Three projects will help develop infrastructure for Flood Managed Aquifer Recharge on 45,000 acres of farmland in Madera County. DWR is set to begin working with grantees immediately in the development and execution of the grant agreements. A second round of the grant program is set to begin in the spring of 2022 with approximately $70 million in grant funding to be made available. The grant support is made possible by Proposition 68.

Learn more about California Public Service Recognition Week

From a Ventura County News Release

The (Ventura County) Board of Supervisors approved an additional $3.65 million in Federal Coronavirus Relief Funds to support the Farmworker Household Assistance Program (FHAP) bringing total support to more than $7.1 million to assist farmworkers and their families. This funding will provide financial aid of $1,000 to eligible households who were previously funded through this program and who still reside in the County.

“We appreciate the opportunity to provide assistance where it’s needed most. This program is important in supporting Farmworkers who are vital members of our community. This will help those who are struggling from the impacts of the pandemic and those who support us all through the agricultural products they provide throughout the year,” said County Executive Officer Mike Powers.

The Board of Supervisors approved the first FHAP program design in September 2020, which was a collaboration between the Board and a generous group of private donors comprised of agricultural employers, farmworker advocates and community-based organizations. The program required proof of residency, financial hardship due to COVID, and prioritized eligibility to farmworkers at very low-income levels of 50% or below the Average Median Income. It served 3,461 farmworker households with a $1,000 grant, a distribution that totaled just over $3 million in federal CARES Act funding in conjunction with about $400,000 in private donor funds collected in a Farmworker Household Assistance trust that was managed by VCCF. The Human Services Agency administered the program on behalf of the donor group and distributed all the funds before the end of last year.

Farmworkers have continued to work throughout the pandemic. Many experienced reductions in hours due to decreased demand for certain crops used primarily by restaurants. Others have needed to reduce their hours to care for school-age children, while still others have incurred unexpected expenses, all of which have impacted the ability to meet the most basic needs of housing, food and medical care.

“As the pandemic has continued and these farmworker households continue to struggle and endure financial hardships disproportionately, this funding aims to provide additional relief and stability while the challenges to meet basic needs persists,” said Melissa Livingston, Director of the Ventura County Human Services Agency, which is administering the program.

“These farmworker families who continue to struggle will be receiving a second $1,000 grant under the Farmworker Household Assistance Program,” said Ellen Brokaw from Brokaw Ranch Company. “Our county leaders have stepped up again to help these essential workers who also are our neighbors. Private donations currently being raised will provide further help to even more families. The need is huge. The Ventura County community cares.”

For every $0.50 that is donated to the Farmworker Household Assistance Program by private donors, the Ventura County Community Foundation will also donate $1.00 to the fund through a challenge match grant amount of up to $500,000. Every dollar donated will go directly to farmworker families in need. To donate to the FHAP, please visit www.vccf.org/fhap.

Read the report here

Learn more about CDFA’s Center for Analytical Chemistry

Statement from CDFA Secretary Karen Ross:

I am thrilled that someone of Jenny Lester Moffitt’s caliber has been selected by President Biden to serve as USDA Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs.

In Jenny’s seven years at CDFA (as undersecretary and deputy secretary) she has shown herself to be a tireless advocate for agriculture and the people of California. I have deeply valued her counsel and her leadership. She is detail-oriented and a talented problem solver who brings all stakeholders together, and her experience as a farmer places her in a very strong position to understand the challenges and opportunities ahead. I have no doubt that she’ll show the same acumen and dedication on behalf of all Americans. We are a remarkable nation with the greatest agricultural story in world history, and we have people like Jenny—working in both the production and policy arenas—to thank for it.     

Jenny Lester Moffitt is a trusted colleague and a good friend, and she will be missed here in California. But I am gratified that she will be serving a larger cause. She is a shining example of the next generation of agricultural leadership.