FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that two massive COVID-19 vaccination sites were opening in Northern and Southern California but made no mention of the Central Valley.
That’s rubbed Valley lawmakers the wrong way, now they are are crying foul saying the millions in the heart of California are being overlooked.
Assemblyman Jim Patterson tweeting “Governor Newsom tells us he cares about the Central Valley but his actions tell a whole different story.”
“Here we go again. Central California is being ignored,” said Patterson speaking on Thursday’s Ray Appleton Show.
Assemblyman Patterson says more needs to be done to protect the elderly, and thousands of farmworkers.
“This is a slap in the face, terribly hypocritical, putting these location in Northern and Southern California and entirely missing Central California,” said Assemblyman Patterson.
Governor Gavin Newsom says it’s a matter of equity, but Patterson disagrees with his assessment.
“What we need is 60,000 or 50,0000 vaccines a week… so were working on a number of fronts, number one, we’re communicating with the Governor’s Office… lot of communications and contacts with congressional representatives, and talking with our FEMA contacts,” said Assemblyman Patterson.
OES and FEMA have already signed off on the Save Mart Center location to be up and running by the end of the month.
Assemblyman Patterson says it need to be sooner than that.
On Thursday, Fresno City Council unanimously passed a non-binding resolution, sponsored by Councilmember Mike Karbassi, to ask the Biden Administration to facilitate the state to provide a larger allotment of COVID-19 vaccine for the Fresno County Department of Public Health.
Click to listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern
