Today we welcome California Senator Melissa Hurtado of the 14th Senate District which covers parts of the southern Central Valley between Fresno and Bakersfield. She starts the podcast with a lovely tribute to Scott Lay, then talks about how the Great Recession affected her, her road to the senate, and how reelection is shaping up. The majority of the conversation focused on her district and her work fixing water issues in California, and the connection between water, food, and environmental security. She also discusses her work on President Biden’s Latino Leadership Committee.