Friant frustrated over veto * New questions about farm wage rates * Senate clears USDA funding

Several proposals aiming to repair critical infrastructure like the Friant-Kern Canal were left behind this year.

Fresno State water expert Thomas Esqueda details funding options a San Joaquin Valley coalition is considering to cover a $7-billion sustainability plan.

A coalition has emerged around a complex and ambitious approach to bring water to the valley – one that could head off the worst effects of SGMA for farmers, the environment and communities.

DWR Director Karla Nemeth made a case that the implementation of SGMA beginning this year will provide “agriculture with more certainty, even around surface water supplies.”

The administration has issued the final draft of its blueprint for equipping California to cope with the impacts of climate extremes.