Governor Moonbeam's about to run for president, so the rest of the country can be like Caliphornia. They've put lots and lotsa money into alternative fuels and all that trendy stuff, they've shut off access to Cal's water resources, and I'm not aware of a dime they're put into desalinization, with all that coastline.
"I think people are just taking it more seriously," says John Moore, an insurance salesman from Sherman Oaks. "I see the sign on the highway, 'Serious drought: [help] save water,' and so I turn off the water when I'm shaving. I read about farmers fallowing their fields, and something in me just says, 'Take a shorter shower.' "
The stakes have been high. California is the producer of half of America's fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Moreover, an already-costly wildfire situation has been getting worse, with the dry conditions sparking more fires and extending the fire season to year-round.
And so the drought has been the biggest story in California in 2014. In January, Democratic Gov.
Jerry Governor MoonbeamBrown
... those who ignore history are bound to repeat it ...
declared a drought emergency and urged people to reduce their water use by 20 percent.
Later that month, California officials announced they were cutting off the flow of water from the northern part of the state to the south for the first time in the 54-year history of the State Water Project. That meant SWP customers â primarily in water districts that serve about 25 million people total and irrigate about 750,000 acres of farmland â would have to rely on other sources for their water.
