Gov. Jerry Brown laid out his assessment of California in the annual State of the State address in Sacramento.
Some local leaders who've reacted to the speech say water is the most relevant issue to the Central Valley right now.
"I was glad to see that in his speech. He did put a priority on dealing with the drought, which is obviously the most immediate and serious issue that's hitting us in 2014," says Mario Santoyo, executive director with the California Latino Water Coalition.
Santoyo helped coordinate last week's water rally, where more than 1,000 people from the Central Valley travelled to the Capitol to urge the governor to declare a drought.
He and Assemblyman Henry T. Perea (D-Fresno) say now that the Central Valley has the governor's attention, they hope a multi-pronged water bond will be put before voters this election season.
"First, is we need expanded [water] storage. The second is that we need clean drinking water for disadvantaged communities; many of those communities are right in the Central Valley," Perea says.
Other Central Valley leaders criticized Brown's speech saying he ignored topics that address the concerns of Valley businesses.
"The governor was very late in declaring a drought emergency. He's very quick to tax and spend," says Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno).
In his speech, Brown said that since 2010, a million new jobs have been created. But for local leaders, unemployment in the Central Valley remains a pressing concern.
"I guess the way my brain works is okay, that's good, but how many [jobs] were lost?" says Assemblywoman Connie Conway (R-Tulare).