Governor Brown signed the final budget of his tenure as governor on Wednesday, and included in it was funding aimed at combating the fungal disease valley fever. The budget includes $ 8 million for research and outreach into the fungal disease that’s caused by inhaling spores that grow in arid soil. “I think this is a phenomenal thing we could do,” said South Valley assemblymember Rudy Salas. He introduced four bills earlier this year related to valley fever and is one of the lawmakers who fought to get disease funding into the budget. “Obviously we could use more resources, but I think this is a great investment in the state of California,” he said. The $ 8 million in the budget allocates $ 6 million for disease research, split between the University of California system and the Valley Fever Institute at Kern Medical in Bakersfield, and $ 2 million for awareness and outreach through the California Department of Public Health. To Rob Purdie, vice president of the board of the non-profit
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