Newsom slams McCarthy for failing to address California flood emergency

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is pointing a finger at Republican lawmakers for their failure to respond to a flood emergency that is inundating their districts of the Golden State.

In a stern letter sent to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), Newsom reminded the legislators that local leaders have been warning with “great urgency” that their “constituents are ‘in a path of destruction’ from floodwaters.”

This ongoing and pending destruction is the result of the massive snowmelt that has begun gushing down from the Sierra Nevada and into California’s Central Valley — a region that produces about a quarter of the nation’s food supply.

Stressing that local leaders called for “immediate action” from the lawmakers more than a month ago, Newsom charged that “House Republicans refused to act on their request, pushing instead for more cuts to local infrastructure projects.”

“While Congress failed to act, the state is stepping up with up to $17 million in assistance to raise the Corcoran levee to an elevation of 192 feet and reduce the likelihood of disaster,” Newsom continued.

The Corcoran levee is in the Tulare Basin, an area in the Central Valley that meteorologists have repeatedly flagged as particularly prone to flooding from the ongoing snowmelt.

Newsom announced last week that his revised budget proposal included funds to raise the Corcoran levee, which his office described as “key to protecting critical infrastructure, including large correctional and medical facilities, and public safety.”

The levee also protects two state prisons, the California State Prison and the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility, from Tulare Lake overflow.

“I would urge you both, along with your colleagues in Congress, to work with California to address the urgent needs of your own constituents and help solve real problems facing real people in real time,” Newsom wrote in the letter.

“Our job is to serve the people we were elected to represent, and to ensure we are doing everything in our power to keep our fellow Californians safe,” the governor added.

In response to Newsom’s claims, a spokesperson for Valadao, Faith Mabry, said in an emailed statement that the “letter is nothing more than political posturing from the governor on an issue that is completely nonpartisan.”

Mabry stressed that Valadao and his team have been in close contact with both Newsom’s office and local leaders since the winter storms began.

“For Newsom to play politics on flood response is shameful and incredibly disappointing,” she stated.

She also pointed to a Twitter thread released by Valadao on Thursday, in which he expressed his disappointment with what he views as the politicization of the flood response. 

“Congress cannot wave a magic wand and write a blank check,” Valadao tweeted, noting that Congress needs to know exactly how much supplemental funds are needed. 

“As I have said publicly, I am grateful for [Newsom’s] attention to this very serious issue and am doing everything I can at the federal level to support state and local efforts to raise the Corcoran Levee,” Valadao said.

The Hill has also reached out to McCarthy’s office for comment. 

— Updated at 1:23 p.m.