Senate candidate visits East Porterville
U.S. Senate candidate Duf Sundheim made East Porterville a stop on his “One California” border-to-border tour on Thursday.
The tour started Jan. 18 and Sundheim said the purpose is “to show the people of California through the eyes of the people.”
Sundheim arrived at Iglesia Emmanuel Church on Leggett Street at 3 p.m., ready, he said, to learn more about the drought impact in the area.
But Pastor Roman Hernandez, who was going to give the candidate a tour, had been called away on a
family emergency. Sundheim made use of his visit to inspect the portable showers, talk to workers at the county’s drought headquarters, and visit with drought victims who came to get cases of bottled water.
“I’m here to try and understand what the issues are from your perspective,” he told two men who had picked up four cases each of bottled water.
Sundheim said he had visited the area months before, including homes where potable-water tanks had been installed as part of the Household Tank Program.
He said his goal Thursday was to learn more about what is being done for the victims, what programs are in place, and what more needs to be done.
The drought has been a big part of his tour, Sundheim said. Earlier in the week, he spent time at U.C. Merced to discuss and study the geology of the area and how the water coming into the Valley affects the southern Valley’s counties and cities. Sundheim also visited Fresno State University Thursday to discuss the water crisis.
U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin Mccarthy of Bakersfield has endorsed Sundheim.
Sundheim’s platform centers on providing better-paying jobs and a lower cost of living, his belief that parents should be free to choose the best schools for their children, ensuring there is enough water, and a safer and more secure state.
The church serves as a drought command base for East Porterville. Portable showers, bottled water, food and other services are offered to drought victims. A sign stands by the driveway entrance that reads “No Shower Parking” when the showers are closed or the parking lot is needed for an event.
Sundheim looked around the area and shook his head, watching as two men, riding bicycles, loaded cases of bottled water into an empty baby stroller, pulling the loaded stroller as they rode away.
“Unbelievable,” he said. “America: 2016.”