California lawmakers are alarmed by significant federal staffing cuts at the National Weather Service, which have seen the agency lose over 600 employees. U.S. senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla sent a letter urging the Trump administration to restore funding, emphasizing the impact on safety and the state's economy. The Hanford and Sacramento offices are particularly affected, with high vacancy rates among meteorologists. The cuts threaten the NWS's effectiveness in forecasting, which is vital for protecting lives and ensuring agricultural productivity in California.
The safety and lives of millions of Americans as well as the economic success of California depend on weather forecasts from the state's NWS offices.
Protecting human lives from severe weather events is not a partisan issue, and it is important that the NWS has the workforce required to meet its core mandate to protect human life.
Currently, Hanford is tied with Goodland, Kan., as the NWS office with the highest percentage of meteorologist vacancies in the country, with eight of 13 positions unfilled.
Sacramento is the next worse off, with half of its 16 meteorologist positions currently empty.
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