Editor’s note: The following news release is a statement issued by Manuel Cunha, President of the Nisei Farmers League in regards to the Water Bond headed to the November 2014 Ballot.

Statement by Manuel Cunha, President, Nisei Farmers League
Regarding new $7.5 billion Water Bond for November 2014 Ballot

“For decades, California has faced an ever-growing crisis of water storage and statewide water management. The newly revised water bond gives voters the opportunity to begin addressing the water crisis and invest in our lack of infrastructure and groundwater replenishment.

The entire Central Valley legislative delegation should be commended for their bipartisan efforts to unsure our regions’s water needs were addressed in this revised bond and that  a significant investment was made in actual water shortage that previous water bonds excluded.

The Valley’s major agriculture associations diligently worked on behalf of there members and their workers to ensure the state’s economic backbone was protected with new water shortage. In particular the Presidents Councils, California Fresh Fruit Association, California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association, Western Agriculture Processors Association, California Citrus Mutual, Friant Water Authority and numerous water agencies, the California Rice Growers Association, Untied Ag, the California Latino Water Coalition, the Ventura County Agricultural Association, the African-American Farmers of California, Fresno, Kings, Madera & Merced County Farm Bureaus, all worked in unison to ensure the Valley’s interests were never neglected.

I appreciate the Governor working with the Legislature and the Presidents Council and coming to a resolution that will give us real projects and real money to accomplish them. We look forward to working with the Governor to get the water bond on the ballot and getting approval by the voters in November. Special thanks to Assembly Speaker toni Atkins for the great job in working with the agricultural community and her commitment to move forward on working on funding for the Cross Valley canal.

Thank you to The Fresno Bee, especially Jim Boren and Bill McEwen in believing in our efforts to realize what the Water Bonds means to this Valley and our rural communities. Thank you to Channels 24, 30, 26, 47, Univision, KMJ and many other Valley newspapers that helped us get our message to our local and state elected officials as well as to our communities.”