Story at a glance
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded Monday the state’s drought emergency to cover 41 out of 58 counties in the nation’s most populous state.
- Wildfires consumed a record 6,562 square miles in California in 2020, and officials worry a similar season awaits.
- “The hots are getting a lot hotter in this state, the dries are getting a lot drier,” Newsom said. “We have a conveyance system, a water system, that was designed for a world that no longer exists.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) expanded Monday the state’s drought emergency to cover 41 out of 58 counties in the nation’s most populous state.
Newsom additionally proposed a water spending bill worth more than $6 billion over four years, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The bill would include $1.3 billion for drinking water and wastewater systems, $1 billion for residents for water bill relief and $200 million to repair damaged canals.
The Democratic controlled state legislature has until June 15 to make a decision on the spending proposal.
U.S. Rep. Jim Costa (D), who joined Newsom at the Central Valley reservoir, spoke of a potential looming catastrophe in the coming months as experts expect a warm, dry season.
“We’re staring down at what could be disastrous summer and fall, with the potential of communities running out water, and fires,” Costa said.
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Wildfires consumed a record 6,562 square miles in California in 2020, and officials worry a similar season awaits, according to the AP.
“The hots are getting a lot hotter in this state, the dries are getting a lot drier,” Newsom said. “We have a conveyance system, a water system, that was designed for a world that no longer exists.”
Newsom said the state needs “a much more resilient, a much more vibrant, much more dynamic water delivery system,” adding that the drought has accelerated water use, depleting the supply in existing reservoirs.
Republicans criticized Newsom’s plan as a political move that should have already happened and one that is designed to gain favor. Yet Newsom said he’s proposed similar spending bills before he faced the possibility of a recall.
“This expanded #drought declaration should have happened weeks ago,” former Congressman Doug Ose tweeted. “Playing politics like this with people’s livelihoods doesn’t do anybody any good.”
Newsom maintains he’s proposed similar spending bills before he faced the possibility of a recall, according to the AP.
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