Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger met Friday with a group of frustrated farmers on the edge of a dry, dusty field in Mendota -- and then asked for federal disaster money to help them.
He also promised to deliver help from the state.
In an unusual request, Schwarzenegger asked President Barack Obama to declare Fresno County a disaster area due to the water shortage, a move that could bring money to the central San Joaquin Valley.
The governor's visit focused on the west side of Fresno County, where communities are suffering as the Westlands Water District receives 10% of its federal water allotment this year. The cutbacks stem from the three-year drought and are exacerbated by federal protections for the threatened delta smelt. Mendota's unemployment rate is 41%.
The governor's visit Friday was in response to a request by Mendota Mayor Robert Silva during Schwarzenegger's visit to Fresno on Thursday. Schwarzenegger came to Fresno to promote his budget plan at The Tower Theatre and during a question-and-answer session received an earful from the audience about the state's water problems.
Later Thursday in a private meeting with local mayors, Silva talked about his city's issues and asked the governor to see Mendota firsthand.
"They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and I think that is true," Schwarzenegger said Friday in Mendota.
"I think you made enough noise yesterday that it made an impact."
A small group of farmers talked with Schwarzenegger on a dusty patch between two fields on Belmont Avenue. One field had been prepped to plant broccoli, but is empty because there was no water to irrigate it.
After listening to farmers' concerns about water, layoffs and hard times, Schwarzenegger met privately with local elected officials at Mendota City Hall.
The executive order Schwarzenegger signed will bring money for food to local governments and nonprofit groups for people affected by the water problems.
The order follows Schwarzenegger's February declaration of a state of emergency due to drought conditions.
His executive order also eliminates a one-week waiting period for workers who are laid off as a result of the water shortage.
Schwarzenegger also signed a letter to the president during a news conference after the meeting Friday, requesting him to declare a major disaster in Fresno County and provide federal disaster assistance.
The letter did not include an amount, but it requested money for unemployment assistance, food, crisis counseling and legal services.
Requests for a presidential disaster declaration are rarer for droughts than for other natural disasters.
In 2007, the governor of Georgia requested a declaration because of a prolonged drought, but President George W. Bush declined to issue one.
The request noted California provided assistance to the county during the 2007 freeze, but the letter said the state's budget problems prevent it from doing that this year.
It was not clear Friday exactly how much money could flow to Fresno County from federal and state sources, or which cities would receive it, but Schwarzenegger said it could be $3 million to $4 million a month.
During the meeting, Schwarzenegger also threw his support behind a proposal by the California Latino Water Coalition to build two temporary gates in the Sacramento delta. The gates could be closed when the delta smelt are endangered, but other gates would remain open, allowing a greater amount of water to flow throughout the state.
Department of Water Resources director Lester Snow said Schwarzenegger encouraged the department to expedite the plan and get permits quickly.
If all goes as planned, construction could start next year, Snow said.
Schwarzenegger said he would fight for a long-term solution to the water problem.
He and Snow downplayed the possibility of a panel informally known as a "God Squad." Actor and comedian Paul Rodriguez, who also is a member of the California Latino Water Coalition, suggested Thursday that such a panel be formed.
Under the Endangered Species Act, the panel could make exceptions to the act. But Schwarzenegger said such panels have not been effective in any of the six instances when they've assembled before to address different issues.
Although such a panel could roll back delta water delivery reductions, Schwarzenegger said it would slow negotiations with the federal government regarding a long-term solution.
The visit was welcome by farmers such as Todd Allen, who farms 600 acres in Firebaugh. Of 375 acres of wheat he planted, just 40 made it to harvest.
"It came up and died because I didn't get the normal water in March," he said.
Allen said he can't afford to dig wells because he's stuck with payments on land and for equipment he bought in past years.
"I'm losing money," he said. "Without water, I'm nothing."
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