CA Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Photo: Kevin Sanders for California Globe)
Governor Newsom Announces Mandatory Statewide Water Restrictions Likely By October
Mandatory restrictions dependent on new water season data, recall election outcome
By Evan Symon, August 18, 2021 3:58 pm
Press play to hear a narrated version of this story, presented by AudioHopper.
In a visit to Big Basin Redwoods State Park in Santa Cruz County on Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom stated that mandatory water restrictions would likely be put into place as soon as early October due to worsening drought conditions. With the state currently in it’s worst drought since the 1970’s, Newsom has already installed many water reduction measures, including announcing a water emergency in 50 of California’s 58 counties and a voluntary measure he announced last month asking all Californians to reduce water usage by 15%.
However, due in large part to the Newsom Administration’s handling of water resources, the situation has quickly worsened in the last 6 weeks since his 15% announcement. Water levels in reservoirs have gone down even further, with Lake Oroville in particular being drawn down so much that the dam producing electricity at Lake Oroville had to be deactivated. Over 5,700 farms were also hit hard as the state water board voted to cut off water access to them to help stop the drought.
But, with no end to the drought in sight, and the state water season beginning on October 1st, Newsom said that mandatory measures could come soon, similar to the mandatory measures former Governor Jerry Brown implemented during the last drought in the mid-2010’s.
“At the moment, we’re doing voluntary,” said Newsom on Tuesday “But if we enter into another year of drought, and as you know our water season starts October 1st, we will have likely more to say by the end of September as we enter potentially the third year of this current drought.”
However, Newsom soon added that it was quite possible that it wouldn’t come to that, as Californians have been using less and less water since the mid-2010’s drought due to water reduction legislation passed in the wake of it in the late 2010’s.
“I’m not here as the nanny state, I’m not trying to be oppressive,” added the Governor. “We brought in that mind set into this drought, and this gives us an advantage over the last drought. Residential use in the state of California currently is 16% below where we were in 2013 as we go into this next drought. We have also been more effective and efficient in terms of water recycling and storage, and we have made a substantial amount of progress on groundwater strategies.
“We’re going to get through this. And we’re going to come out the other side more capable and more resilient.”
Water restrictions and the recall election
However, the return of possible water restrictions is an unpopular measure across the state. Currently, many counties undergoing voluntary restrictions, such as Santa Clara County, have reported a 0% change in water usage from the desired 15%. Southern Californian residents, whose counties have employed stricter water controls for decades and have been among the few to have not been placed under an emergency by the state, have also spoken out against possible mandatory restrictions, saying it is punishing them over Northern Californians.
“SoCal has been really good with water,” explained hydrologist Dr. Craig Kirk to the Globe on Wednesday. “Due to low levels on the Colorado River, there might be need for restrictions soon. But, right now, they can safely go without restrictions. And that’s the thing. Over the years cities like Los Angeles had to keep engineering ways to conserve and store water for events like droughts. Northern California never did so. And now punishing the entire state for something they did? I know a lot of water guys down there and they think it is very unfair.”
And, despite the seriousness of the drought, underscored by Newsom’s visit to the wildfire-scarred Big Basin Redwoods State Park with EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Newsom is hesitant to do more in the next month despite many experts begging him to put more restrictions in place now.
“The recall election is breathing down his neck,” noted Bay Area pollster Robin Platt-Gutierrez to the Globe. “Lockdown measures and COVID-19 restrictions were large factors to the recall even being an election in the first place. If Newsom were to put huge water restrictions in place now, less than a month before the recall election, he would likely draw out some more base support but he would also lose a lot of people on the fence. Saying that you, by law, have to stop watering your lawn would make a lot of people, even donors, mad. And he just can’t afford that, not with him barely hanging on to a lead in the recall.”
“It’s likely the main reason why we haven’t seen even more restrictive measures at this point. If he beats the recall, it’s all but assured we’ll see way more restrictions. If he loses, whoever beats him will likely also put in some restrictions, but the way it will happen would be largely different, likely rollbacks on environmental uses in favor of rebuilding reservoirs or diverting water back to farms and urban areas, much like how the state operated several decades ago.”
“But that’s speculation. Right now those possible restrictions are dependent on things that will happen in the next 6 weeks.”
Should Newsom win the recall election, he is likely to look into mandatory restrictions beginning in late September.
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November 10, 2018
Gavin saved one salmon this year by emptying our reservoirs and killed many farmers and their workers! Increased water bills with less usage. Time for a change, quit killing the middle class hard working tax payers! Vote YES on the Recall!
Ha, very good Stacy!
Yes Gavin favors a set of gills over a set of legs!
You humans don’t deserve water, now take the jab, mask up and shut up!
Silly humans!
This guy is un bee leaveable.
Lets empty our full reservoirs and flush all the water out to the sea and then punish the people because we didn’t properly save their water. Silly people don’t you know this is all your fault and I am the only one who can save you. [Cue maniacal laughter…]. You better keep me as governor – its life or death…
I wish we could leave him – in the dust – as soon as possible.
Sorry, I am just a little punchy I guess with all the whirling orders and mandates and warnings coming out about vaccinations and masks and water and and and it seems that the more the tides turn against Newsom and his merry band the more desperately they generate orders and mandates and warnings about everything they can get their hands on.
And none of them even remotely grounded in reason or acknowledging the reality of the situation – Newsom must recognize that all his little pieces of paper are going to be use less on September 15.
We can only hope anyway.
Full Stop, you are correct. Newsom did flush stored waters out to sea. The demoncrats stall and block water storage projects we have voted for as we understand we live in a drought prone area. This is just a fact that everyone should and must know. G-D demoncrats. People stop voting for anyone who is in the democrat party and specially not any RINOs. Read this article published in 2018.
https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-skelton-california-water-bond-money-20180212-story.html
Aside from extreme environmentalism, I think choking off water to central valley farmers and ranchers is to force these small farmers and ranchers out of business. “Burn Down Capitalism” If this happens, just see who purchases the land and how the water will once again flow flow.
Noisome is selling his mansions and getting read to flee the state/country after he is recalled. Once he is out the truth about his crooked/treasonous deals will come out.
Don’t let the door hit ya where the dog shoulda bit ya as they say
So does this mean our governor’s vineyards will be producing raisins instead of wine grapes?
Newsom can shove it up his @$$. Him, the democraps, and the environmentalists own this water shortage. http://www.recallgavin2021.com
“I’m not here as the nanny state, I’m not trying to be oppressive,” added the Governor. “We brought in that mind set into this drought, and this gives us an advantage over the last drought. Residential use in the state of California currently is 16% below where we were in 2013 as we go into this next drought. We have also been more effective and efficient in terms of water recycling and storage, and we have made a substantial amount of progress on groundwater strategies.
“We’re going to get through this. And we’re going to come out the other side more capable and more resilient.”
^^^ First sentence : TYPICAL Progressive projection and doublespeak – up is down, down is up… followed by word salad…. mind sets about droughts??? You nuckfut – we shouldn’t have to WORRY about drought if you and your G-D Democrat control freaks had BUILT ENOUGH WATER STORAGE CAPACITY to keep up with all the “new residents” that you’ve invited up from Mexico, Central and South America over the last twenty years…
Progress on groundwater STRATEGIES??? What about progress on groundwater TACTICS??? What about BUILDING RESERVOIRS??? What about building desalinization plants???
We’re going to get through this… yeah… the FARMERS will be broke & destitute and the residents will be much poorer, thanks to your SCREWED UP policies that GUARANTEE shortages, which drive up prices and decimate budgets…
The only constituents that will be more capable and resilient will be your Chinese funders, who are licking their chops to buy up California farmland for pennies on the dollar… once THEY own it, you just watch how MAGICALLY all kinds of fish are gonna go thirsty, because the PLA needs the produce these formerly fertile lands produced…
This guy is DE-TESTABLE….
Newsom “Residential use in the state of California currently is 16% below where we were in 2013 as we go into this next drought. ”
So to combat 16% below…..He invites more refugees from Afghanistan on top of the illegals to california…to of course use more water… such lies and nonsense from newsom
Governor Elder will scrub this, HairFg, and announce instead a plan to 1) stop immediately the dumping of our water into the delta, and 2) opening the bidding process for the construction of no less than 12 new reservoirs throughout the state…hopefully more.
How does Gruesomlini expect to do this AFTER he is recalled? Buh-bye Gavin
Water bonds were passed. Reservoirs could have been built and filled by now if it was not in California.
He will act the tyrant to the very end. He only shares the blame for the unabated burning of the State of California with all those who have governed this state sine 1979 when the last dam was built and when they started cutting the timber industry in 1975. I cannot believe that even the short-sighted environmentalists are please with the results of their decades of lobbing successes. We can come back to a beautiful state with plenty of water for all if we replace those who have delivered a government of legislative destruction.
Here’s the perfect solution… Water Passports (aka US Passports). If you aren’t here legally, you can’t get any water service! Just remember, if all the illegals were gone, the existing water supply would be enough for the ones who are supposed to be here.