Sen. Alex Padilla didn’t bring extra water with him when he toured the Superior Almond Hulling facility on Wednesday, but he did point out that the recently signed Inflation Reduction Act provides $4 billion for drought resiliency. “California’s agricultural sector produces over one-third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts, but the climate crisis – including rising temperatures and historic drought – are compounding the challenges caused by supply chain disruptions and record consumer demand,” said Padilla following the tour of the facility that operates 24 hours a daily for five months during the almond harvest season. The 16-year-old plant, which processes more than 120 million tons of almonds annually, shut down for Padilla’s 20-minute tour.