Gov. Gavin Newsom visited Earlimart, an unincorporated community in Tulare County Monday, to talk about vaccine distribution.
Newsom said plans for a mass vaccination site that he promised was coming to the Central Valley are stalled. But he said his office is still trying to make it happen.
"Other states, I’ll be honest with you, were a little upset that California was the first to get not one, but two large-scale vaccination sites," he said. "And until the other states start to get more equitably their vaccination sites, we’re struggling to get that third site."
Central Valley Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, responded to the governor’s comments by calling for clarity on when and if a mass vaccination site will be coming to the region. In a statement, Harder said California is more than just Los Angeles and the Bay Area and that it’s time that resources be sent to the hardest-hit communities, instead of the areas that are the wealthiest and most politically connected.
Last week, California said it would double the vaccine allotment for residents in low-income ZIP codes that score poorly on a health index.