Newsom relaxes California water restrictions, but says drought situation is still ‘complicated’

The Hill ^ | 03/24/2023 | SHARON UDASIN

[ChicagoConservative27]

After months of wintry weather relieved much of California from its driest three years on record, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) issued an executive order on Friday to modify — but not remove entirely — the state’s emergency drought proclamation.

“We’ve been waiting for this moment for some time to ask the rhetorical question and answer it: Are we out of the drought?” Newsom asked at a Friday morning press conference in Yolo County near Sacramento.

“I want to affirm your instinct that it should be, it feels like it is,” the governor said.

He noted, however, that “it is and continues to be complicated.”

Accounting for the enormous impact of California’s recent string of atmospheric rivers, the modified proclamation is a slimmed down version of the previous document, with 33 rather than 81 provisions, according to the governor.

[ChicagoConservative27]

How the hell is it complicated?

[Da Coyote]

The operation of a simple pulley is complicated to Newsom. Such is the curse of being a Democrat.

[ridesthemiles]

Trying to hide the fact that they are talking down dams & water is flowing out to sea-—IN A DROUGHT.

He is an idiot.

[MtnClimber]

They have too much water, but will still withhold it from farmers. The left only exists to punish/harm people.

[OrioleFan]

I guess he thinks he solved the drought problem by pumping the excess into the ocean. I don’t believe solution included building reservoirs since he’s been the guv.

[CIB-173RDABN]

As soon as the don’t think anyone is watching they will drain the reservoirs all in the name of saving a fish in the bay and like magic we will have a “drought”.

[no-to-illegals]

Only if you don’t have a brain is it complicated newsome

[poinq]

It’s complicated in that the California democrats actually like the drought. They have lots of emergencies. And as long as they have them, the governor can do what he wants. But they also want to put their farmers out of business without saying so. They believe that the farmers are not green. So they are going to reduce the farmers until half of them are gone. They actually have a plan to do just that. And they admit it out loud.

[Spok]

It’s complicated because it’s all about politics and weaponizing the resource to punish the bourgeoisie.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Back in the early 80s (the last time California got a heap o' rain) I saw a weather guy talking about all the rain, flooding and then end with, but it doesn't help the drought.

Even then I knew there was something wrong out there because if large amount of water falling from the sky does not help your drought problem then your "drought" is not of the normal kind.

Sort of like a weather related "bad harvest" in one country while the one next door is having record yields tells you something more then nature is at work here.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

It's complicated because unlike the rest of California, Los Angeles and San Francisco don't capture their rain runoff, but dump it into the Pacific ocean. Yeah, so complicated.

God gives them rain, and they waste it. Taxpayers give them money and they waste it. Yes, it is so complicated.

[monkeyshine]

It’s complicated because the state doesn’t manage water resources effectively - barely at all! They took out some dams, let others fall into disrepair, refused to build adequate reservoirs, and don’t have sufficient aqueduct facilities to move water.

So we get droughts; and then when we get El Nino weather patterns (which have nothing to do with climate change; El Nino comes every 3-7 years and was so named back 400+ years ago) and La Nina weather patterns (which also happen every several years). Entirely predictable though not 100% regular. The idiots in Sacramento blew tens of billions on a train that hasn’t been built yet and barely a dime on water projects. Oh, they built some new reservoirs in Southern California - but only because they closed the old ones. Probably going to sell those to a housing developer.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

It's "complicated" because the state has used almost none of the $8 billion Proposition 1 bond issue approved in 2014 to improve the state's water infrastructure. Newsom has done NOTHING to improve water infrastructure.

The LA Times wrote the usual apologia in January, but grudgingly admitted not much has been done.

Have no Prop. 1 water projects been built in California? No, but they are moving slowly

Here is the typical bureaucrat gobbledygook from the California Water Commission...

Proposition 1 Water Storage Investment Program: Funding the Public Benefits of Water Storage Projects

Through a rigorous selection process, the Commission chose the eight projects based on the public benefits their projects will provide, such as flood control, ecosystem improvement, water quality improvement, emergency response and recreation. Applicants must now complete the remaining Proposition 1 requirements, including final permits, environmental documents, contracts for the administration of public benefits, and commitments for non-Proposition 1 funding.

Throughout this process, the Commission will continue to meet with the applicants, state agencies and stakeholders to review the status of each project. Once an applicant has obtained all the necessary permits, documents and contracts, the Commission will hold a final award hearing.

This is supposed to be a WATER STORAGE program. Yet the "benefits" they evaluated are "flood control, ecosystem improvement, water quality improvement, emergency response and recreation." I don't see any "increased water storage to serve the citizens of California" benefit in their list.

You want more "complicated"? Look at their damned schedule. Keep in mind this was a 2014 bond issue!

They are showing the completion of the projects almost 20 years after the bond issue was passed. With the typical ineptness and incompetence of the state plus the environmental challenges, this will probably stretch out to 40 years.

[Cobra64]

This guy is so stupid, everything is complicated except comimg his hair. Anyway, build a few reservoirs, you moron. While you’re at it, build a half dozen mini-nukes.

[Seruzawa]

Govt very seldom willingly gives up power.

[Bernard]

It's complicated because the big donors want to see money spent on a train to nowhere. Building reservoirs to retain water? Apparently not enough profit for the right people Maybe Newsome should fly in Dr. Greta with her newly-minted Theology degree, so she can talk to Al Gore, the liberal god of bad weather. Or one of them (maybe all 3) can jump into a volcano to satisfy the liberal gods. With an exclusive on CNN to help boost those ratings.

[LibWhacker]

Complicated by democrat stupidity. They’ve refused to build a sufficient number of reservoirs to allow the state to stockpile enough water in wet years to get it through lengthy but predictable runs of back-to-back dry years. And they don’t dare allow all of the reservoirs now on line to fill up in wet years because... OMG, flooding! So, wet or dry we never have enough water. They’ll be screaming about the drought again in a year, two tops.

[Regulator]

Oh, there are two farmers who wont have any problems at all.

Look up Lynda & Stewart Resnick and you’ll know who has all the water cars in California.

[Grampa Dave]

“They have too much water, but will still withhold it from farmers. The left only exists to punish/harm people.”

Our county’s main reservoir and a smaller backup one have been overflowing their dams since this past Dec/Jan.

We are still paying drought water prices. We have not turned on any drip systems since Thanksgiving due to heavy and often steady rains.

Water table levels are increasing almost daily for the farmers/ranchers with small lakes and pumping stations on their property.