Senator Melissa Hurtado fields questions at open house for new Hanford office

Hurtado serves California’s 14th Senate District, which includes cities in Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties. The first-term state senator met with approximately 50 constituents Saturday to discuss her first seven months in office and hear her explain her ideas for expanding health care services, thoughts on representing a diverse community, and how to encourage constituents to raise their voices in Sacramento. 

The new office is located at 611 N. Douty Avenue in Hanford and is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached at (559) 585-7161.

“Kings County is an imperative part of the livelihood for the Central Valley. Its rich history in agriculture and manufacturing has been an economic driver within the community and throughout the region,” said Hurtado. “Since the beginning of the year, opening an office in Hanford has always been a top priority of mine. I encourage constituents to reach out to the office to share their thoughts and concerns.”

Hurtado fielded a slew of questions from constituents Saturday morning and appeared pleased with the turnout and the feedback.  “It’s just hearing from the community,” she said. “I’m trying to do a better job at trying to reach out to people when there is legislation that I think would impact the community, and then hearing back. I don’t often get feedback on certain legislation and trying to reach out is something I’m trying to get better at so I can get a better understanding of where the community is.”

Hurtado was a former health care advisor before defeating the incumbent state senator,  Andy Vidak, in last year’s election.

Hurtado, shortly after taking office was assigned as the chair of the Human Services Committee for the 2019-20 legislative session and will focus on child welfare services, Cal Works, developmental disability services and more.

She also serves on several committees, including Health, Veterans Affairs, Band Fiscal Review, and Governance and Finance.

Hurtado recently secured a $15 million one-time investment of General Funds for the southern Central Valley, money that will address failing water systems in California’s most vulnerable communities, including nearby Stratford, which last year saw both of its water wells fail.

The $15-million-dollar investment includes:

• $2.5 million allocation for the placement and filling of temporary water tanks for households in communities like Porterville and Stratford that have lost their water supply because of dry wells.
• $3 million for City of Sanger to repair a water tank and Well 16
• $1 million to connect Tombstone to Sanger’s centralized water system
• $2.5 million for a new water and tertiary treatment plant for Tulare County
• $1 million to repair water systems in Fresno and Tulare Counties to improve access to water in cities like Orosi and Del Rey
• $1.5 million for the Selma Storm Drain Project, Selma Rockwell Pond Groundwater Recharge Project, and the Selma Branch Canal Multi-Use Trail
• $1 million to replace Water Well 21 in the City of Dinuba
• $2.5 million to bring communities into compliance with safe drinking water standards and remove arsenic from water in communities like Alpaugh in Tulare County and Arvin in Kern County.