Senator Hurtado has been a leading voice for protecting California’s farmland and supporting rural communities. She authored the Food and Farm Security Act (SB 1084), which aimed to prevent foreign governments from buying agricultural land. While the Governor vetoed the bill in 2022, her persistent advocacy elevated the issue nationally, leading to greater oversight of farmland acquisitions.

As Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, she also secured $100 million in state funding to repair irrigation canals, safeguarding water supplies for growers. Through these efforts, Hurtado has strengthened California agriculture and the rural economy.

Additionally, Senator Hurtado successfully passed SB 1448 to extend the Farm to Community Food Hub Program and support the Agricultural Land Equity Task Force, ensuring more opportunities for small farmers.

Expanding healthcare access has been central to Senator Hurtado’s work. She authored SB 367, the Campus Opioid Safety Act, requiring colleges to distribute naloxone and train students to save lives during overdoses.

She also pass legislation to give community colleges the authority to prioritize nursing program admissions for local underserved students, strengthening the future healthcare workforce in the Central Valley. In addition, she co-authored SB 1300, ensuring communities receive timely notice before hospital or emergency room closures.

Beyond legislation, she secured funding to expand residency programs and mobile health clinics in her district, bringing services directly to rural families. These efforts reflect her commitment to addressing shortages in care and ensuring access to critical health services.

Senator Hurtado has championed environmental justice and water equity for Central Valley communities. She helped deliver $40 million for the Food for All initiative, ensuring families do not go hungry or without clean water during climate crises.

She secured funding for critical water projects, including $1 million to launch the Tombstone Territory water project in Fresno County, which now delivers clean drinking water to families with failing wells.

She has also been a strong voice for climate resilience, introducing SB 556 to promote floodplain restoration and groundwater recharge. She authored the Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Act (SB 892), which protects water and food systems from cyberattacks. Her leadership has consistently focused on ensuring disadvantaged rural communities are not left behind in California’s environmental and water policies.

Hurtado has delivered historic infrastructure investments to her district. In 2022, she secured $56 million for new police and fire stations, emergency operations centers, and life-saving equipment in small cities like Lindsay, Porterville, and McFarland. She also won $1 million for rural roadway repairs in Tulare County, improving safety on neglected roads. Hurtado carried legislation to ratify new tribal gaming compacts that will create thousands of jobs and new economic opportunities.

She also authored SB 577, now law, which supports firefighter training and strengthens rural fire departments. Her transparency package in 2024 included SB 1151, SB 1155, and SB 1156, all aimed at improving accountability in government and water management. Together, these investments and reforms demonstrate her commitment to safe, strong, and thriving communities in the Central Valley.

Hurtado has been a strong advocate for immigrant and farmworker families. She introduced SB 245, the Food for All Act, to extend food benefits to all Californians regardless of immigration status. While full passage is pending, her leadership secured $40 million in the state budget to begin expanding CalFood benefits to undocumented seniors and children.

She also authored SB 628, the Human Right to Food Act, which established in state law that every Californian has the right to sufficient and healthy food. Hurtado has spoken out against surprise immigration enforcement sweeps in her district, defending families’ rights to access schools, clinics, and public spaces without fear. Through legislation and advocacy, she has worked to ensure that no family goes hungry or without support because of immigration status.