About a thousand people from the Valley made their voices heard in Sacramento today. They took a bus-trip to the State Capitol and called for drought relief.
They want a drought emergency declaration from the governor, which he's indicated he will do, soon.
He also wants a water bond put on the ballot. Both to help deal with a lack of rain, and water for valley crops.
The need for water is something Westside growers experience daily. They need something to moisten their once fertile land and with no rain in sight, some are seriously concerned. "I'm sad. i'm disheartened to think at one time this was a very vibrant place," said Joel Allen, a local grower.
In Sacramento, a Huron field worker Juan Martinez said the rally was designed to get the governor's attention and encourage him to declare a drought.
But, they also rallied for their jobs as the lack of rainfall can leave the field where he works with nothing to plant.
State leaders say a loss in agriculture related jobs can mean the state's economy takes a 1.4 billion dollar hit.
Hundreds from the central valley say they can't take that risk and hope the governor will officially declare a drought
to help ease the regulations on the federally protected delta and help move more water south.
"He could shift those numbers so as to reduce some that goes to the ocean and push more south of the delta to the cities and the farming communities and so forth," said Mario Santoyo, of the California Latino Water Coalition.
As california enters its third dry year, farmers have received an initial water allocation of only 5%. That could quickly change to no water at all, if the dry conditions continue.
Those attending the rally also called for a water bond.
They want it on the 2014 ballot to build more surface and below ground storage and to capture water from wet years and save it for the dry years.
They want a drought emergency declaration from the governor, which he's indicated he will do, soon.
He also wants a water bond put on the ballot. Both to help deal with a lack of rain, and water for valley crops.
The need for water is something Westside growers experience daily. They need something to moisten their once fertile land and with no rain in sight, some are seriously concerned. "I'm sad. i'm disheartened to think at one time this was a very vibrant place," said Joel Allen, a local grower.
In Sacramento, a Huron field worker Juan Martinez said the rally was designed to get the governor's attention and encourage him to declare a drought.
But, they also rallied for their jobs as the lack of rainfall can leave the field where he works with nothing to plant.
State leaders say a loss in agriculture related jobs can mean the state's economy takes a 1.4 billion dollar hit.
Hundreds from the central valley say they can't take that risk and hope the governor will officially declare a drought
to help ease the regulations on the federally protected delta and help move more water south.
"He could shift those numbers so as to reduce some that goes to the ocean and push more south of the delta to the cities and the farming communities and so forth," said Mario Santoyo, of the California Latino Water Coalition.
As california enters its third dry year, farmers have received an initial water allocation of only 5%. That could quickly change to no water at all, if the dry conditions continue.
Those attending the rally also called for a water bond.
They want it on the 2014 ballot to build more surface and below ground storage and to capture water from wet years and save it for the dry years.