Flooded California towns secured millions in aid. Who gets money and where they’ll spend

Merced and Monterey counties got $20 million each from the state in October to help the residents of Planada and Pajaro recover from January floods. 

But local officials want to spend at least some of the money on infrastructure, while residents want all of the money to help relieve debt they’ve incurred from the natural disaster. That is, after all, what state lawmakers ostensibly sent the money for.