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 joins us to discuss the water, bureaucracy, and California’s future. Her bill, SB 1219, would establish a blue-ribbon commission to eliminate the State Water Resources Control Board and fundamentally change how California and its agencies deal with water, including planning for less water due to climate change and hardening water resources against things like cyberattacks.

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.