Water/Drought

Southern CA chafes under water squeeze

Despite a long track record of conserving water, Southern California has had to scramble to find new ways to scale back even further. Gov. Jerry Brown’s statewide decree of a 25 percent cut in municipal water use has triggered a wave

‘Anti-science policies’ seen as factor in CA water crisis

Chris Reed April 16, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent executive order mandating decreased water use prompted national and international attention. All coverage understandably emphasized the state’s 4-year-old drought; some linked the problem to climate change. But a California-based journalist who specializes in science reporting based

UCLA Study: 35% water reduction order in Palm Springs may backfire

Wayne Lusvardi April 15, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown’s recently announced Executive Order B-29-15, mandating statewide water use reductions will hit the Palm Springs area of California the hardest with 35 percent cuts in water usage. But a new UCLA study of outdoor watering restrictions in

Unions central to Brown’s infrastructure plans

James Poulos April 13, 2015

Faced with a restive constituency disgruntled by drought, Gov. Jerry Brown has moved to execute on his plans for California infrastructure — a boon to labor unions, but a point of contention for his political adversaries. Train trouble As the Los

Environmentalists face blame for drought

James Poulos April 12, 2015

As California’s potent drought inspired soul searching from analysts worried the Golden State can’t grow without water, politicians and officials focused on a more immediate task: laying blame for the problem. Gov. Jerry Brown has tried to set a philosophical tone, cautioning that

Feds cloud pot picture in CA

James Poulos April 8, 2015

Over the strenuous objections of some California lawmakers, the Department of Justice vowed to continue prosecuting the medical marijuana industry in the Golden State. Despite a recent bipartisan federal amendment de-funding the Department’s fight against medical marijuana, spokesman Patrick Rodenbush revealed to the

Climate change should be top issue despite public apathy, Steyer and Cisneros say

Wayne Lusvardi April 7, 2015

Despite a recent Gallup poll showing climate changing ranking last among a number of environmental priorities, including polluted drinking water, air pollution and the loss of tropical rain forests, billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer and former Secretary of Housing and

Brown imposes 25 percent water cutbacks

James Poulos April 3, 2015

Faced with a crisis unprecedented in California’s history or his own tenure in office, Gov. Jerry Brown unveiled mandatory water restrictions at Phillips Station, a Sierra Nevada locale hit hard by this year’s meager snowfall. Cities and towns, he said, must now

Desalination gaining support as long-term response to CA drought

John April 2, 2015

With California’s snowpack at the lowest level in a century, Governor Jerry Brown announced Wednesday the first mandatory water reductions in state history. “Today we are standing on dry grass where there should be five feet of snow,” Governor Brown said at a

Exaggerations make CA drought seem worse than it is

James Poulos March 28, 2015

Faced with fears of a permanent climate crisis, commentators monitoring California’s drought have been inadvertently led to spread erroneous claims about its severity. Although the state’s thirst for water has reached crisis levels, careful observers have made some gains in pointing out some of the