President Biden on Monday announced $600 million in federal funding to fight the impacts of climate change after touring Northern California’s nature reserves with Gov. Gavin Newsom in his first visit to California since announcing his re-election campaign. Announced.

The president’s financial commitments are expected to only boost Biden’s strong political support in California, two constituencies critical to the president’s second-term bid, and among environmentally concerned Americans. be.

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Biden’s main rival in the 2024 presidential election, is also in California on a fundraising tour, and Vice President Kamala Harris at a Juneteenth celebration in Los Angeles. gave a lecture. upcoming election.

The Biden administration’s funding for climate action comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the Suppression of Inflation Act to help communities in coastal and Great Lakes regions vulnerable to storm surges, rising sea levels and flooding. , seek innovative solutions to increase resilience to climate change. .

Standing near the saltmarshes of the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretation Center on San Francisco Bay, Biden said, “Climate change is a clear and existential threat to humanity. I have visited many sites across the country where

The Democratic president touted the administration’s efforts to fight climate change. Biden stressed that he would spend $2.3 billion on grid modernization under the federal bipartisan infrastructure law, including $67.4 million to California.

“Throughout our history, our country is the only country in the world that has weathered every crisis it has entered stronger than it did when it entered,” Biden said. “We are repeating the same thing here about the climate crisis.”

Biden’s visit to California includes a series of fundraising activities hosted by the likes of former eBay executive and 2006 gubernatorial candidate Steve Westley and LinkedIn co-founder Reed Hoffman. Newsom will co-host a Biden fundraiser at Marin on Tuesday.

“No president in modern American history has delivered on his promise to tackle climate change head-on like President Joe Biden,” Newsom said Monday.

Newsom’s flattery of Biden’s leadership and track record in the White House added further credence to the California governor’s pledge to help the Democratic president get re-elected in 2024.

Over the years, the governor has been ousted by both whispers from those disaffected by Mr. Biden and, more recently, by Mr. Newsom’s aggressive national campaign to combat far-right policies favored in Florida and Texas. He has tried to drown out speculation about his interest in running for office.

In March, Mr. Newsom transferred $10 million in state campaign funds to the new federal political action committee, the Democratic Movement Commission. The commission said it was set up to help Democrats in the 2024 election and push back against Republican leaders who “ban books.” “Immigrant Kidnapping” and “Racial Incite”.

DeSantis, one of Newsom’s leading Republican supporters, traveled to Sacramento on Monday to raise money for his presidential campaign and plans to do another fundraiser in Southern California on Tuesday. there is The Republican visit comes amid an ongoing public feud with Newsom as California investigates its response to a flight of immigrants to Sacramento earlier this month.

Rep. Tom Lackey (R. Palmdale) attended a private breakfast at Sacramento’s Del Paso Country Club and said Mr. DeSantis focused on the “clear contrasts” of California and Florida. It also included a reference to the state of Florida. record high budget He also talked about California’s current budget deficit. Florida’s governor said he also discussed immigration policy and “our porous border.”

Biden declined to comment on DeSantis when asked Monday.

But the president didn’t shy away from talking about how his administration helped improve the daily lives of Americans with the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill he passed in his first year in office. This is one of his presidency’s greatest achievements. president.

“We are investing in the hardest-hit people and regions, but they are also the front lines that propel us forward,” Biden said.

The infrastructure plan, which passed with Republican backing, was a prize that fell short of Mr. Biden’s predecessor, former President Trump, the top Republican challenger in 2024. The law will expand broadband internet access and repair aging roads and bridges over the next five years. California will receive tens of millions of dollars to increase access to clean drinking water and mitigate wildfires and other natural disasters.

Newsom, meanwhile, is in the final stages of negotiations with Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento over his plan to streamline the infrastructure-building process in California. The governor’s office argued that ease of construction is critical to the state’s ability to meet ambitious climate goals.

“Funds in the president’s announcement to improve the grid and strengthen the coastal resilience, combined with the governor’s infrastructure policies, will accelerate statewide projects and lay the groundwork for the construction age.” State spokesman Daniel Villasenor said. Mr Newsom said in his statement: “And our work last year to streamline transmission permits means California can leverage this funding and deliver results sooner.”

The governor’s office said state law could shorten project timelines by three years or more in some cases, removing bureaucratic hurdles in building transportation, clean energy and water infrastructure across California.

Newsom’s proposed changes would also make it easier to complete a controversial project to build underground tunnels to transport water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River delta to Southern California, for example. The primary purpose of this package is to reduce the likelihood of lengthy delays due to lawsuits filed under the California Environmental Quality Act that may slow down building projects.

Infrastructure plans are one of the final issues Mr. Newsom and lawmakers are negotiating in talks about the next state budget.

Lawmakers question the urgent need to pass the bill through a budget process rather than the usual more deliberative policy process.

Senate Speaker Protem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) said in a statement Monday that Senate and Congressional leaders continue to work toward a budget deal with the governor.

“We cannot share details as these negotiations are ongoing, but we can confirm that discussions on infrastructure proposals are moving forward,” said the Protem Secretariat. “We look forward to reaching a final budget agreement.”

Times staff writers Mackenzie Mays and Seema Mehta contributed to this report.