Gov. Gavin Newsom says he may soon need to declare a state of emergency because of California’s drought conditions.
It’s been a dry year and if conditions do not change soon, the governor said he is ready to respond. "We’ve already drafted executive orders, we’ve already organized an internal strike team, we’ve already notified hundreds of water users going back weeks," he said.
Gov. Newsom said the decision has not yet been made and could come in the next few weeks or months.
An emergency declaration would give him the power to more drastically restrict water supply.
He said he's tapped the person who led drought efforts under former Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration.
Brown oversaw California’s historic drought that ended in 2017. While Brown was able to declare the drought’s end, he left water conservation regulations in place knowing that dry conditions could soon return, which it appears they may have.
Gov. Newsom said the state has already begun notifying farmers and other water-users that conditions could be very bad this year.
They are already working with the Biden administration "because the federal government plays a huge and outsized role in terms of water policy and water allocation." The governor added more information will come soon. "In the days and weeks we’ll be making additional announcements; very mindful of the growing anxiety around water."
Related
