Is California suffering a decades-long megadrought? [Los Angeles Times]
… Some researchers believe the region is actually more than two decades into an emerging “megadrought” — a hydrological event that is on par with the worst dry spells of the past millennium. Except this time, they say, human-caused climate change is driving its severity — and will make it that much harder to climb back out of. … Other experts are more skeptical, saying that while the Colorado Basin may be facing megadrought conditions, the same can’t yet be said for California. But they agree that warming temperatures are making droughts worse and forcing the state to reckon with how it manages its water.
Editorial: Dear Governor: There’s a drought; please help! [Bakersfield Californian]
… Kern County Farm Bureau President John C. Moore III stressed that waiting for another year of drought to proclaim a disaster would be waiting too long, because “if we can get in front of this for a year, it’s going to help us big-time.” A declaration of a “drought emergency” gives flexibility to water managers as they move water around the states to balance needs. It also encourages use of urban and rural water conservation initiatives. Some rightly fear that the declaration could dangerously shift the balance between the state’s environmental and economic goals. But that’s where leadership comes into play.
Drought adds pressure on Central Valley farmers as other factors cause food prices to rise [KXTV, Sacramento]
California shoppers may notice food prices rising at grocery stores across the state, reflecting national trends. Experts say it’s part of the continued economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but growers in the Central Valley now face added pressure thanks to the California drought. … The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Price Outlook shows prices of staple foods such as meats, poultry, and fish as well as fruits and vegetables outpacing the 20-year historical averages. According to Sumner, that can be attributed in part to rising fuel and labor costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The drought may not cause prices to rise in the near term, but shoppers could feel the impact in the coming months.
Tiny Borrego Springs agrees to huge water cuts to guarantee its survival [Palm Springs Desert Sun]
Borrego Springs, the small desert town at the entrance to California’s sprawling Anza-Borrego State Park, has won a judge’s approval for an agreement under which large farmers, resort owners and its own water district will slash water use by 74% by 2040. Officials say the cuts are needed to keep the town of 3,000 alive. More than a dozen major landholders, including ranchers and developers who’ve long grown crops and created lush golf greens in the parched desert by pumping large amounts of water from a rapidly depleting aquifer, signed on to the settlement agreement.
Lawsuit filed over Woodland Flood Risk Management Project [Woodland Daily Democrat]
The Yolo County Farm Bureau as well as two former Farm Bureau presidents have filed a lawsuit against the City of Woodland and the Woodland City Council over the Woodland Flood Risk Management Project. … In this situation, the Farm Bureau, as well as former presidents Nancy Lea and Eric Paulsen are alleging that the city’s February decision to move forward with the Flood Risk Management Project directly violates Measure S, a Woodland voter initiative that passed in 2004. … The project would, according to the lawsuit, increase flooding in northern Woodland. All of this work would allow floodwaters to bypass northern Woodland and travel into the Cache Creek Settling Basin.
https://www.dailydemocrat.com/2021/04/18/lawsuit-filed-over-woodland-flood-risk-management-project/
Of the 5 states with the most farmworkers, only 3 are prioritizing vaccines — and not all means of prioritizing are equal, per the CDC [PBS Frontline]
… Despite the CDC’s guidance, only three of the five states with the most farmworkers, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — California, Washington and Oregon — prioritized farmworkers for vaccinations ahead of the general population. And only two — California and Oregon — have established policies that provide vaccination clinics for farmworkers on worksites or in their communities. … Together with nonprofits and mobile clinics, California has delivered more than 15,000 vaccine doses to farmworkers and has allocated 40,000 doses for food and farmworkers. But that covers a fraction of the state’s 1 million farmworkers, as estimated by the state’s Department of Public Health.
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