Water/Drought

Brown gets bipartisan rebuke on drought policies

The reporters who cover state government have paid plenty of attention to Gov. Jerry Brown’s failures on big initiatives in the Legislature this month, in which the governor got nowhere with his agenda in special sessions on health funding and

CA may save enough to skip big water works

James Poulos September 10, 2015

Demonstrating the simple power of reducing daily water usage, Californians have impressed regulators and policymakers by taking a huge bite out of statewide consumption. “The numbers reflect broad conservation success at a crucial time,” the Sacramento Bee reported. “Last year,

Water-independent Riverside forced to cut use 28%

Chris Reed September 6, 2015

The grousing over Gov. Jerry Brown’s April order of sweeping cutbacks in water use — from 12 percent to 36 percent, depending on local factors — was widespread and instantaneous. Farmers in urban areas objected to facing more cutbacks than

CA seeks water relief from pot farmers

James Poulos September 5, 2015

California’s protracted drought has upended business as usual for many of the Golden State’s marijuana farmers, who now face both increased scrutiny and increased cooperation from regulators. An uneasy partnership With the prospect of a big ballot initiative on recreational

Sen. Feinstein remarks on Iran deal, CA drought

Joel Fox September 5, 2015

Anyone wonder if U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein has the same feeling expressed by Gov. Jerry Brown about a presidential run — if she were a decade or so younger would she consider running for president? I pondered this when in

Brown vows tighter groundwater regulations

James Poulos August 26, 2015

Laboring to strengthen his aggressive anti-drought policies, Gov. Jerry Brown vowed that the historic groundwater management rules he pushed into law will be ratcheted up in coming years. In an interview on Meet the Press, Brown cautioned that he did not “rule

Economist: Taxpayers may pay for $15 billion Delta tunnels

Dave Roberts August 26, 2015

California taxpayers may be liable for picking up part of the $15 billion cost of the proposed Delta tunnels project, an economist warned at a legislative hearing last week. The project consists of two 40-foot diameter, 30-mile-long pipes transferring water

CA drought: New front in federal blame game

Chris Reed August 24, 2015

When it comes to the federal government’s seemingly muted response to a severe drought in its most populous, richest state, Republicans and Democrats in Congress have faced sharp criticism. GOP lawmakers from California and their supporters are accused of offering

GOP presidential hopefuls hit Brown back on climate

James Poulos August 23, 2015

After submitting a letter-length question to Republican candidates ahead of their first round of primary-season debates, Gov. Jerry Brown has received some responses. Heated rhetoric Pressing ahead with the environmental emphasis characterizing his final term in office, Brown asked the presidential

CA water cops crack down

James Poulos August 6, 2015

With California residents and wildlife struggling to cope, officials have introduced a fresh round of crackdowns on water consumption, dealing a blow to farmers and municipalities thirsty for more. Hard targets Water suppliers braced for fines in areas where consumption didn’t hit aggressive