Water

The water crisis in the West and the decline of the Colorado River are going to require painful changes for Southern California farms, and a lot less water.

Despite reversing course last week, the February decision by Gov. Gavin Newsom and state water officials to bypass environmental rules for water storage allowed greater harm to salmon populations already besieged by drought. Native American tribal members argue that such environmental harm amounts to a civil rights violation.

The decision to suspend environmental regulations for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta – and then reverse it a few weeks later – was applauded by many who believe California's climate extremes require a more flexible approach to managing the water crisis.

The salmon industry, worth about half a billion dollars, is devastated. The culprits: Drought and decades of water diversions and development.

California was once home to the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River, but Tulare Lake disappeared as water was diverted to irrigate crops. This year, however, the lake will once again re-emerge.

A sizeable coalition has called for California's water regulator to take emergency measures to protect Mono Lake and suspend diversions to Los Angeles. The recent controversy offers a snapshot of how California struggles with longstanding water rights as drought periods persist.

The immense amounts of rain and snow California is experiencing this winter could morph into devastating floods under certain conditions.

Groundwater plans, largely serving low-income Latino communities, were deemed inadequate for preventing dry wells and sinking land.

Sure there are those ambitious climate goals, the shuttered prisons, the state’s ever-worsening homelessness crisis and the three-year COVID state of emergency. But among the many changes that will define Gov. Gavin Newsom’s legacy as political leader of California, one of the most enduring, if under-appreciated, is his reshaping of the judiciary.  According to new […]

The responsibility of keeping California's food system functioning falls heaviest on the backs of Latino workers, who are most frequently plagued by water contamination and scarcity. Given the trust local leaders have with their constituents, especially in Latino communities, education on water solutions is vital to ensure that vulnerable residents are protected.