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The Budget:
Last week, California’s State Water Resources Control Board approved new water conservation regulations that aim to conserve almost 2 million acre feet of water by 2024, which could supply half of California’s population for a year. The regulations force over 400 Californian cities and water suppliers (not individuals) to cut back on the amount of water they use—unless they’re already utilizing a low amount—and are the first regulations of their kind in the U.S.
California’s Secretary for Environmental Protection Yana Garcia said in a statement that the regulations are a “definitive step toward ensuring California’s long-term resilience to the hotter, drier climate we all are experiencing.”
The Backlash:
California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has garnered right-wing backlash over the past year. They claim his “woke” policies have turned the state into a haven for poverty, crime, unemployment, and homelessness. Some see the water budget, which coincides with Newsom’s 2023 California Water Plan, as a further example of the governor’s progressive influence on the state.
“Could you imagine Newsom running the country,” one X user posted about the water budget. “Every state would be implementing stupid woke policies to hide the fact that they mismanaged their budget.”
“Water budgets. Read that again. California is rationing water. What kind of dystopian nightmare state is that?’” another X user said. “Yet politicians claim it is one of the ‘freest states.’ Hardly. This is a fundamental basic build block of life, and will be rationed by the government in California.”
The Background:
California was in a drought between 2020 and 2022 and has been getting “increasingly” drier since 1895.
Thus, State Water Board members say that their new water conservation regulations are vital for preserving California’s water security, or ensuring that the state has enough water to function.
In fact, the initial draft of the water regulations were much more severe—and some conservationists say that the approved version of the regulations won’t adequately prepare California for the next drought.
“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail,” Heather Cooley, the director of research at the Pacific Institute, a global water think-tank, told CalMatters. “While surface reservoirs are full now, I think there’s a tendency to forget about water scarcity and drought.”
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