Friday January 13, 2023
The Sacramento Bee —
Republicans in California’s Assembly used a break in the storms Thursday to condemn Democrats for the drought-stricken state’s inability to capture more of the rainfall that has inundated it in recent weeks.
“It’s a failure of leadership,” Assemblyman James Gallagher, R-Nicolaus, said during a press conference near the American River in Sacramento. “The Democratic supermajority and the governor have failed to make investments in water infrastructure.”
Gallagher, the Republican Leader, was joined by 10 of his Assembly colleagues on a rare sunny day so far in 2023. They pleaded with Gov. Gavin Newsom to expedite pending water storage projects.
Voters in 2014 approved a measure that set aside $2.7 billion to support new water storage. None of the projects that have received money are under construction.
“Where is the water storage that the voters approved?” said Assemblywoman Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach.