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Good news on several CA drought fronts

State officials measured the Sierra Nevada snowpack for the second time in 2016 on Tuesday, and once again the news was good. Capital Public Radio has the details: The latest measurement … showed that the “snowpack is growing quite nicely.”

U.S. tax policy undercuts CA water conservation push

Chris Reed January 27, 2016

Even before the current marathon drought, turf replacement subsidies have long been touted by the state government as a powerful way to get California homeowners to stop having water-guzzling lawns. But the federal government sees these subsidies as taxable income.

Water woes bring uneven fines and regulations

James Poulos November 29, 2015

California’s ongoing water crisis promised to extend the controversy over fines and regulations well into the next year — if not beyond. While some areas suffer, others flourish, and fines — in some instances aggressively applied — have been meted

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,

CA ‘conundrum’: Water use down, bills up

Chris Reed August 4, 2015

Californians reacted impressively to Gov. Jerry Brown’s late-spring call for major water conservation, cutting usage by 27 percent in June. But many aren’t happy about it — because for millions of ratepayers, conservation hasn’t led to cost savings. Newspapers around

As CA conserves, Feinstein renews relief push

James Poulos August 3, 2015

With the latest numbers showing a drop in California water consumption, attention has turned to a new drought relief bill introduced by Golden State U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. The figures eclipsed earlier embarrassments faced by water districts where consumption

Occupy-style rhetoric used to frame CA drought

Chris Reed April 30, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown’s announcement of mandatory water cutbacks led to news coverage of the disparities in water usage between very rich neighborhoods and everywhere else. In San Diego, this instantly prompted angry comments on social media about Rancho Santa Fe,

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

CA drought spurs painful rate hikes

James Poulos March 12, 2015

Faced with a drought that won’t quit, officials have taken new steps to add to Californians’ discomfort — a fresh round of rate hikes. Regulators in the San Francisco Bay Area have begun the march toward charging significantly more for water, pleading

In fighting drought, San Antonio leaves L.A. in the dust

Wayne Lusvardi September 5, 2014

Could cities such as drought-vulnerable Los Angeles come to regret that a “privatization” provision in the old $11.1 billion state water bond was removed? Back in 2009, there was an outcry against language in the original version of a