Commentary
Farmers and ranchers need support during drought
California farmland can be put to work in ways that build climate resilience and benefit people and wildlife.
drought
Reader Reactions
Timing of state reservoir activity warrants scrutiny
Did water managers act to supply Southern California before the drought became generally known?
WhatMatters
California’s not-so-big reopening
Good morning, California. It’s Wednesday, June 16. For many, masks here to stay Rome wasn’t built in a day — and neither did California reopen in one. Flanked by minions, Smurfs and Transformers at Universal Studios Hollywood, a maskless Gov. Gavin Newsom drew $15 million worth of prizes in the state’s vaccine lottery and declared […]
Environment
As drought intensifies, state warns users to stop pumping water from major rivers
About 4,300 users were issued notices to halt diversions from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Some growers and municipalities will have to rely on other sources, while many can invoke their senior water rights to keep pumping from the rivers — at least for now.
Environment
Tulare County’s never-ending drought brings dried up wells and plenty of misery
In the rural towns around Visalia, today’s dry spell is indistinguishable from the last one or the next one. Drought is a perpetual plight in the region, which is a hotspot for dry wells.
Commentary
Profit-thirsty Big Ag makes a bad thing worse
The drought and worsening climate crisis underscore why California’s water must be divvied up equitably.
Commentary
California Drought sharpens perpetual water conflict
California's drought intensifies its long-running conflict over allocation of water.
California Divide
Universal basic income for farmworkers? Some leaders are pushing for it
A Fresno-area politician wants California to prioritize struggling San Joaquin Valley farmworkers in a proposed pilot program that would put cash in the hands of some the state’s impoverished residents. State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, a Democrat from Sanger, issued a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom last week urging the state to prioritize California’s “displaced, underemployed, or unemployed […]
WhatMatters
Newsom: Vaccine verification system in works
One key component of California’s reopening may come down to semantics. What’s the difference between a “vaccine verification system” and a “vaccine passport”? Hard to say — but Gov. Gavin Newsom distinguished between the two during a Friday press conference, suggesting the state is working on an electronic system that businesses can use to check […]
Climate Change
How better data can help California avoid a drinking water crisis
Drought reporting systems can predict where wells will go dry and help communities prepare to take action before they run out of water.