Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom called on Californians to reduce their personal water use in order to combat a drought in the state.
On Thursday, Newsom signed an executive order calling “on all Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15 percent from their 2020 levels.” Included in the measure to save water are irrigating outdoor landscapes in a more efficient way, running washing machines and dishwashers only when they are full, finding and fixing leaky faucets and other leaks, and taking shorter showers, among other points.
“The State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) shall track and report monthly on the State’s progress toward achieving a 15-percent reduction in statewide urban water use as compared to 2020 use,” it added.
Newsom pointed to climate change as the chief issue for the water resources in the state. “The realities of climate change are nowhere more apparent than in the increasingly frequent and severe drought challenges we face in the West and their devastating impacts on our communities, businesses and ecosystems,” said Governor Newsom, per the state’s website.
“The entire state is in a drought today, and to meet this urgent challenge we must all pull together and do our part to reduce water use as California continues to build a more climate resilient water system to safeguard the future of our state,” he added. “We’re proud of the tremendous strides made to use water more efficiently and reduce water waste, but we can all find opportunities this summer to keep more water in reserve as this drought could stretch into next year and beyond.”
The governor’s website explained that state authorities estimated “an additional 15 percent voluntary reduction by urban water users from 2020 levels could save as much as 850,000 acre-feet of water over the next year for future use, or enough to supply more than 1.7 million households for a year.”
As reported by the Sacramento Bee, Newsom added nine additional counties to a list from an emergency declaration that he made two months prior in order to combat the drought problem. “That makes the drought official in 50 of the state’s 58 counties — essentially, everywhere except San Francisco and urban Southern California,” the Bee reported on Thursday.
“We are encouraging people to do common-sense things,” Newsom said, adding that his request isn’t that of a “nanny state.”
“We’re not trying to be oppressive,” he added.
After he signed the recent emergency orders, Newsom slammed “science deniers” and “said climate change is exacerbating water shortages and heat waves,” per the Bee. “This is jaw dropping, what’s happening across the Western United States,” he said. Across parts of the Central Valley this weekend, temperatures are assumed to get up to 115 degrees.
Newsom is facing a recall election in the state and might be pushing these measures to assist in the drought problem while not appearing to take a totalitarian stance. Last week, the date for the recall election was set for September 14.
According to The Daily Wire, “Voters will be asked two questions on the ballot. First, they will decide whether Newsom should be removed from office. Second, if a majority opts to recall the governor, voters would then select his replacement from a list of candidates.”
“At this time, no prominent California Democrats have announced an intention to enter the race. A recent poll shows former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and businessman John Cox are the leading Republican candidates, followed by former Northern California Rep. Doug Ose,” The Daily Wire noted.