Gov. Newsom requests federal disaster declaration for Monterey County in wake of March storms.

Gov. Gavin Newsom officially sought federal assistance for Monterey County and other California communities impacted by recent storms and flooding on Tuesday, March 28 by requesting a presidential major disaster declaration from the Biden Administration that would allow resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other government agencies to assist with the recovery.

In addition to Monterey County, Newsom requested a federal disaster declaration for the counties of Calaveras, Kern, Los Angeles, Mariposa, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Tulare and Tuolumne, dating back to the start of the “late winter storms event” on Feb. 21. Monterey is among a select number of counties for which the governor is seeking “all categories” of public assistance and individual assistance programs—citing the “particularly devastating” impacts of flooding in the county, most notably the flooding and evacuation of the town of Pajaro.

The governor’s request noted that in Monterey County, “approximately 44 percent of the population lack homeowner’s or personal property insurance and less than 5 percent have flood insurance”—coverage gaps that could be alleviated by federal disaster grants and loans and other forms of aid.

It also cited more than $450.5 million in reported agricultural losses in the county, exceeding the estimated $336 million in agricultural losses suffered in January’s winter storms. “Major agricultural losses of the county’s largest exports, including lettuce, broccoli and strawberries, will cripple the local economies, significantly increase unemployment, and both perpetuate and exacerbate the socioeconomic conditions individuals and families are already facing,” according to the governor's request.

Newsom’s move comes in the wake of criticism among some local stakeholders toward state and federal officials for their perceived slow response to the situation on the ground in Monterey County. Besides county-run shelters for evacuated residents and government agencies at work on local infrastructure needs and repairs, much of the emergency relief effort for those impacted by the storms was outsourced to nonprofits and charitable organizations, who worked to get people the food, water, clothing, supplies and direct financial assistance they needed.

Should Biden approve the disaster declaration request, it would make households and businesses in the affected counties eligible for federal programs covering housing assistance, food aid, medical services and more. Such programs were made available to Monterey County after the president’s disaster declaration two months ago, in the wake of January’s storms. 

The Governor’s Office said the state has thus far invested more than $60 million of its own funds toward response and recovery efforts across the state in the wake of the more recent series of storms.

On Tuesday, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services announced that it is opening up a local assistance center in Watsonville, at Watsonville Veterans Memorial Building at 215 E. Beach St., where state and Monterey County agencies, as well as nonprofits, will provide health services, legal support, financial aid and other resources to impacted residents. Officials opened a similar local assistance center in Spreckels, which also included federal resources from FEMA and the Small Business Administration, following the January storms.

Also on Tuesday, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted to institute an temporary eviction moratorium for those in unincorporated areas of the county, including Pajaro, that were affected by the storms.

California Lieutenant Gov. Eleni Kounalakis will join Monterey County District 2 Supervisor Glenn Church on a tour of Pajaro on Wednesday evening, March 29, Kounalakis’ office announced Tuesday. Church represents Pajaro and surrounding North County communities on the Board of Supervisors.