next on "newsroom," income inequality front and center again. while new cuts to the federal food stamp program are likely. uc president napolitano leads the u.s. olympic dell base to sochi, russia, and talks to the tension surrounding this year's games. >> all security precautions that can be taken are being taken. in a world where there are no guarantees. drought poll tibs. plans to restore the san joaquin river under fire by republican lawmakers.

good evening and welcome to kqed "news room." president obama made resolving income inequality the cornerstone of his state of the union address this week. >> today, after four years of economic growth, corporate profits and stock prices have rarely been higher. and those at the top have never done better. but average wages have barely budged. inequality has deepened. >> but low-income families may face another hurdle, cuts to food stamps are expected as part of the new farm bill passed by the house. joining me to discuss the impacts for california are amy allison, senior vice president of power pac, a social justice advocacy association. joe garafoli, wealth and

politics reporter for the "san francisco chronicle." joe, let's turn to you. why did the president highlight income inequality and how does that issue play out in the bay area? >> this is something he's talked about sort of in the background for years. and this puts it on the national map. now, he's going to have a tough time getting this through congress. congress is gridlocked, republicans are not necessarily on board with him on this. but californians in the fall are going to have a chance to vote on this issue and several ballot measures that are coming up, you're going to have the minimum wage is likely on there, you're going to have oil severance tax is likely on there, another mess assure that could cap the pay of hospital executives. so that all plays to that wealth inequality situation that the president talked about. >> the message here seems to be don't look to washington, they're not going to help us in california. >> you can look there but you're not going to get a the love policy out of them in an election year, not how gridlo gridlocked they are. >> there's only so much the president can do through

executive orders. when president obama said i'm going to use the stroke of a pen to do as much as i can, everyone acknowledged there was only so much he could do in terms of helping to directly address income inequality. but at the local and state level, an issue like minimum wage can get done. look here in the bay area. san jose most recently raised their minimum wage. san francisco's raised its wages, already higher. in the east bay, nascent political discussions about putting -- raising minimum wage on the ballot in oakland and berkeley and some other east bay cities. so the minimum wage is one very concrete thing that local municipalities as well as the state can tackle and it has a very real impact on the lowest income earners in the state. >> look where we began. we talk about income inequality. it's almost as though it's etched in stone that women make 23% less than males do. that's across the board. that's without getting into any of the other issues of

unemployment, education. that's where we start. so the whole idea of income inequality is almost deeply rooted in the american experience. until that is completely eviscerated a lot of these issues doctoring to remain very contentious. because you can point the finger at somebody. women are going to have to take the lead or it's likely not to succeed. >> 2014 and 2016 in the political front, you see so many women stepping up in leadership who are openly talking about the issues of fairness and equal pay. i think for this reason. if women are paid equally, then you take a big chunk out of the income inequality policemen. >> in the meantime we have another issue here. and that is, this problem may very well be exacerbated with the passage of the farm bill. the house passed it, the senate may take it up monday. already they're talking about $8 billion in cuts to the food stamp program if this goes through. how is the face of who's

receiving food stamp assistance in california changing? >> i went to the food bank distribution at a church in concord. and talked to guys been there 15 years handing out food. said it used to be the homeless and single parents. now we know as a matter of statistical reality that the dominant recipients of food stamps are families, households, where the head of the household is of working age. it is a remarkable change. it shows you how the middle class of america, and certainly in the bay area, is being chipped away at in such a way that most of the chips are falling to the poor side, very few -- >> yeah, and it's not just a degree that will help you. it won't save you. just because of the realities -- and that's where we get back to the minimum wage. where we have people who work full-time and are still under the federal poverty line. who certainly in san francisco and other parts of the bay area can't pay the basic needs of housing and food. >> i guarantee it, if they're getting food stamps i guarantee

you they're also going to the food bank. those are the two last things that they have. and food banks will tell you, last week of the month their demand in the bay area goes up about 20%, 30%. every month. because people run out of money and that's where they go. when you go to food banks, what do you see? families with kids. i saw many, and many of these families are highly educated people that are just not able to break through the continuing economic drought that we're in. >> if you're raising the minimum wage that helps but most people working minimum wage jobs are working multiple minimum wage jobs. working mcdonald's in the morning and burger keen at night. you have to cobble them together. especially where we live. it's so expensive here. minimum wage jobs aren't cutting it. >> there's talk about raising the minimum wage but the flip side of that argument that is a lot of businesses are saying, if you do that, we can't stay in business. it will hurt job growth, it will

hurt employment opportunities. >> it's been a long contention but most studies don't bear that out. >> in fact, san francisco raised its minimum wage. >> years ago. we have years of evidence. san jose just raised the minimum wage. aih6 there was a fight, a chambr of commerce often leads the fight in these lull municipalities, when there's an issue that comes up. but in the end, it turns out -- >> wasn't hurt. >> and people have more money in their pocket to spend. we don't see down the line results, high spike in crime, or more people going to the emergency room because they can't afford medical care. >> how serious is this $8 billion? walmart is adjusting its future sales. its future sales projection, walmart, biggest retailer, adjusting it because they know there's going to be less money coming into their doors because of the loss of food stamps. >> here's something that can be done in the state of california. all this talk of california raising the minimum wage. some cities are saying, here's the state minimum. we're going to bump it up to our

local standard. the state could tie the minimum wage to the inflation index so that the lowest earners actually get a bump as the price of milk or cereal or whatever they need to buy goes up. that's a concrete thing that the state could do that is not going to get done in congress, these not with the curt makeup. >> but given the ongoing class warfare, and i think a lot of people would agree that it is -- especially plays out in san francisco with the protests against the google buses and increasing resentment against high-tech workers. how do we resolve this? the gap is so wide. the resentment is so deep. the issues are so profound. and so complicated. you can vote in the minimum wage increase later this year and bring it up to $12 in 2016. but does that even begin to address the problem? >> it's a piece of the puzzle.

there's a housing shortage in san francisco now. people can't afford the housing that's there. it's escalating faster than their wages are escalating. it's a multi piece -- >> there's another -- there's ideas that are in sacramento being discussed. something that's very -- older ideas, split roll property taxes, businesses pay a more significant portion of the taxes and generate more money for government to do things like strengthen the safety net. these are the -- there's a super majority of democrats in sacramento that haven't yet@w taken on some of the bolder initiatives that have been talked about as being core income inequality measures that would address that. >> those are different democrats. those aren't liberal, san francisco democrats. those are quote-unquote business democrats. the chamber of commerce helps elect a lot of the democrats in sacramento now. jerry brown says, i don't want any new taxes. you're not going to get a lot of help from him. >> i've been to the unemployment

office during the recession a hundred times. i have done many stories on food banks. i can tell you what i think is the worst thing. it's what gandhi said. he says poverty is the worst kind of violence. what happens is, it's not so much whether you're going to get an extra $5 or $10. the question is, do you have any hope? do you have any confidence in the future? or do you feel like you're going to be part of a permanent underclass which then saps your ability to try to get out of it? a lot of people find themselves in that position. some people say, pick yourself up by your bootstraps. go to sixth street and take a look and see how many people can pick themselves up by their bootstraps. antioch, pittsburg, many places in the bay area, you find out poverty is the worst form of vie hence. >> violence. >> this is what people are talking about, every kitchen table. is this the kind of society or city that we want? where there's a permanent underclass? is this really what america is for us? are our kids going to do any better than what we did? unless we address income

inequality right now, while it's bad and getting worse, we won't be able to have a good answer to that question. >> it's probably going to be one of the biggest cultural and political issues to come in the next year or so. and california still has the highest poverty rate in the nation. 24%. we'll see how it works out. thank you so much. amy, joe, tom. coming up later in the program, plans to restore the san joaquin river. under fire as the drought persists. but first, next week university of california president janet napolitano leads the u.s. delegation to the winter olympics in sochi, russia. as former secretary of homeland security napolitano may be well suited to the job. the militant group claiming responsibility for a suicide bombing in december has threatened to attack again during the olympics. in addition to russia's decision to grant asylum to nsa leaker edward snowden has increased tensions between the two countries.o

so has russia's stance against gay rights. the ten-member delegation representing the u.s. has three openly gay athletes, including tennis great billie jean king and skater brian boitano. scott shafer sat down with uc president janet napolitano. >> welcome. >> thank you. >> first of all, you are getting ready to go to sochi for the games. >> i am. >> what are your thoughts as you prepare to leave? >> i'm excited. i'm honored to be leading the u.s. official delegation. i'm fascinated by sochi. i've never been there so that will be interesting. and, you know, i want to go there, represent my country, represent my university, represent the team. >> you i think are the first nonpresident, vice president, or family member of the first family to head the delegation in about -- at least a decade, i know. is there a message in that? if so, what is it? >> well, i don't know. but i think, you know -- as the

leader of the nation's largest public research university where openness and tolerance and intellectual achievement are celebrated and practiced every day, i think going to the olympics with the kind of delegation we have where you have athletes, you have openly gay athletes, you have leaders in public service, represents the diversity of america, i think that sends a powerful message too. >> do you see head of the delegation as part of your job in some way this. >> well, i think wherever i go i'm president of the university of california. so i don't segregate it out that much. it's a huge honor to be asked by the president to go. and i go as a person who is the president of the university of california. >> the big issue that everyone's talking about ahead of the games is security. and of course you're former secretary of homeland security for the united states. but what concerns do you have as both someone heading up our

delegation and also as former secretary? >> i think that all security precautions that can be taken are being taken. in a world where there are no guarantees, i think that as the games open and continue the focus will shift. and i hope it shifts to where it should be which is on these athletes and what they're able to do, whether they're skiing or skating or curling or what have you. so that's what i hope to see. >> is there any reason to think that, although yes security has been a concern for many years, is there any reason to think that there are more risks this time around? >> well, that area of the world is a troubled area of the world. and we have seen attacks in areas near sochi in recent weeks and months. my understanding and my view is

that sochi and the mountain environment will be probably the safest place in russia during the pendency of the games. so i have to rely on and do rely on that assurance and also the assurance given to me by the united states about the safety of the games. >> as you mentioned, one of the messages i think of this delegation, there are three openly gay and lesbian athletes. russia has some troubling policies about lgbt issues. i'm wondering, first of all, have you talked to any -- the entire delegation, have you talked specifically with billie jean king, brian boitano, about that part of the symbolism of the u.s. delegation? >> i haven't talked specifically about that, but i know that they are proud to go and proud to represent. and we are all proud to represent. the fact that the united states is a very open and tolerant society. >> there's been some discussion that there should be some sort of outward symbolic either

protest or show of support for lgbt rights, for example, arm band, rainbow flag, that kind of thing. is that appropriate? >> my view is that we're going there for the athletes and for their performances. and i think that's where the focus ought to be. and i'm not sure this is an appropriate place or time for political protests of that sort. >> one of the other issues, there's a lot of tension between the united states and russia and has been for well over -- the last couple of years, really. one of the issues is edward snowden who has asylum which has now been extended by the russian government. how do you perceive him? is he a traitor? is he -- some people say a whistle blower or even a hero. what's your take? >> you know, i've been very public about this in the past. i think that he has committed crimes.

and i think that he should be extradited to the united states. so -- i'm not a snowden fan. >> back to the games, there are some 20 athletes i think from california that are going to be in sochi. you're not one of them. but if you were -- >> true. >> if you were, which event would you participate in? >> if i were in the games? >> yeah. >> oh, lord. well, this is going to sound funny. but i got into curling when i was in vancouver. which is kind of like bochy or shuffle board on ice with brooms. there's actually a fair amount of strategy involved. and i'm not particularly athletic myself. i'm not sure that i would be a good curler. but that would be kind of fun. >> beats the alternative? >> beats the alternative. >> that or luge? >> exactly. luge would be fun. >> dangerous though, actually. >> it is.

scary. >> president napolitano, good luck in sochi. thanks so much. we'll look for you out there playing curling. >> thank you. despite a little rain this week, california is still on track for the worst drought in more than 100 years. politicians on both sides of the aisle are pushing their agendas. governor jerry brown is urging conservation and spoke with president obama about the impact of the drought. central valley lawmakers proposed legislation to pump more water from the delta for farmers and halt a major river restoration project that's been in the works since 2009. spencer michels has our report. >> reporter: this is the once mighty san joaquin river. and much of it has been like this, dry as toast, since the 1940s. that's when the federal government constructed friant dam near fresno which impounded the san joaquin's water in a large reservoir so it could be

diverted through a vast network of canals to farms and ranches in the san joaquin valley, leaving some sections of the river wet. some dry. today the valley is one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. but the fish are gone and the river is a ghost of its former self. before the dam, the water began high in the sierra nevada mountains and flowed west through the central valley and eventually out through san francisco bay to the pacific ocean. for the past five years, a controversial plan to restore 153 miles of california's second-longest river has been getting under wagetting under w. the survival of salmon that used to come up the river from the pacific ocean is a crucial reason for restoring the river. gerald hadler works for california department of fish and wildlife. >> before significant development, we probably had

runs on the san joaquin in excess of 500,000 fish. >> reporter: 500,000 salmon? >> yes. >> reporter: what is it now? >> thatopulation is extirpated, which basically means the population is extinct. >> reporter: fish biologists are trying to bring the salmon back to the river which means bringing back the river itself. 20 years ago the natural resources defense council filed suit against the u.s. bureau of reclamation, claimingfish populm friant must be protected under the the law. also at riskmç was the livelih of salmon fishermen along the coast. monty schmidt is a senior scientist with nrdc. >> the san joaquin river is a really important resource for the entire state of california. it will improve water quality downstream and restores a living river that future generations will get tl get to enjoy. >> reporter: but ranchers throughout the valley had come to depend on the water diverted

from the river. gary burrsy farms almonds and grapes. he feared a reduction in water could hurt his production, and for what? >> we in ag had our suspicions, do you put 400, 500 salmon in front of the food and fiber for our country? >> reporter: in 2006, bursesy and other farmers, fearing the courts could take even more water, agreed to settle the lawsuit and allow the river to be restored. it was a compromise, says ronald jacobsma, who represents 15,000 farmers. >> our concern was if we left it in the hands of a federal judge this could be far worse, the uncertainty, the risk became a bit too much for our folks. we couldn't afford to lose half our water supply. >> reporter: last spring, the first actual moves toward restoring the fish population

began when more water was released from the dam and scientists experimentally put some salmon into the river for the first time to watch how they'd behave and where they'd go. those are small steps. most of the money spent thus far, seven years after the agreement, has been on plans and research which doesn't impress cannon michael who farms a variety of crops near the river. >> to date, not one shovel of dirt has been turned. there's been over $100 million of money spent. i know there has to be a lot of the studies but $100 million is a lot of money and to not show really one physical result for it is a big challenge. >> reporter: the settlement acknowledges that fixing the river will take much more money than that. a small dam that diverts water into irrigation canals needs replacing. fish screens and ladders need to be designed and tested. bypasses must be constructed. and some water may be pumped upstream for reuse. projects that could cost $2

billion, mostly federal money. both sides worry that congress won't appropriate enough money for future work, although it has authorized the restoration. >> the problem with federal appropriations is you can't predict what the federal government will appropriate next year or the year after. without the funding to do the large-scale projects, the river isn't going to function the way the settlement envisioned it. >> reporter: in the midst of severe drought, some central valley lawmakers are trying to halt restoration of the san joaquin river. it's part of a bill introduced this week by republican congressman devin nunez. >> remember what this water's being dumped for. it's being dumped for what i call phantom salmon. they don't exist. >> reporter: he got support from house speaker john boehner who said he'll bring the legislation for a vote. >> how you can favor fish over people is something that people in my part of the world would never understand. >> reporter: but the bill is expected to die in the senate.

senator dianne feinstein called the republican drought bill irresponsible and plans to introduce her own legislation soon. restoration work on the san joaquin river is continuing slowly. for now, it remains impossible for salmon to swim the length of the san joaquin river and spawn. but a few fish are living in the river and are reproducing. still, even if the project overcomes drought-inspired opposition, it may take another 20 years before the restoration of the san joaquin can be judged a success or a failure. >> and that story was produced in partnership with the pbs "newshour." joining me for a look at other stories is scott schaefer. when you were talking to janet napolitano the state senate was approving a ballot measure that would repeal the law that bans

gender and race-based preferences in hiring. >> we didn't find out the senate had passed that until we were done with the interview. i e-mailed and they said she wasn't ready to comment yet. i'm sure they didn't want to detract from her trip to sochi and the olympics. i'm sure that they will support it. the university is really struggling to keep the student body diverse, especially places like ucla and berkeley. so i'd be very surprised if the university did not come out in support of a ballot measure. it probably won't be on the ballot until november 2016. >> another ballot measure that people have been talking about and that san jose mayor was hoping to get on this year's ballot, 2014, regarding pension reform. it seems like there's now a bump with that. what's happening? >> they got cleared to begin collecting signatures. in order to do that, the attorney general puts its title summary on and ballot title. they don't like what she did. they don't like the title summary. they think it's inadequate,

slightly skewed i think toward the union point of view which would not be favorable to their measure. so they're going to file a lawsuit, probably next week, challenging the language of the title and summary. that's going to take a few weeks. so it cuts off time they would need to collect signatures and time to get on it the ballot for this november. so more likely it would be on in 2016. which isn't good for them because it would be a presidential year, a much bigger turnout. >> speaking of the president and presidential years, first lady michelle obama was in the bay area. she's been here for two days. really no public events that are accessible to people who don't have a lot of money. >> these are all events for high rollers. there was some criticism for that. but the first lady and the first family really have been very visible in some of the lower-income neighborhoods of washington, d.c., so it's not like they're hiding from the public. hard to blame them. last time the president was in town, you may recall there were very visible protests about immigration policies so they might have been wanting to avoid some of that as well.

>> henry waxman, another senior congressman, retiring on the heels of george miller. >> huge loss, between the two of them, 80 years in congress. a big loss of clout for the california congressional delegation. >> for all our news corner, kqednews.o kqednews.org. >> thanks for joining us. >> have a good night.

♪ it's all right, it's okay ♪ ♪ doesn't really matter if you're old and gray ♪ ♪ it's all right, i say, it's okay ♪ ♪ listen to what i say ♪ it's all right, doing fine ♪ ♪ doesn't really matter if the sun don't shine ♪ ♪ it's all right, i say, it's okay ♪ ♪ we're getting to the end of the day ♪ ( mutters ) brian: i think i'll be all right with this, you know... if this is the way it has to be.