KERN COUNTY, Calif. — Governor Newsom added 39 counties to his emergency proclamation on Monday regarding water shortage, including Kern. That’s 30% of the state's population, as the drought continues to cause problems for the state of California.
That wasn’t the only big announcement in Monday’s presser. The governor announced an investment of $5.1 billion into water resiliency in the state that California will invest into water resources with more than 100 action items toward water infrastructure, to address the ongoing drought.
“Not having a drought, well that’s become the anomaly. We’re here with some expectation and with some relief.”
Newsom also added a third item, he’ll be proposing, an additional one billion dollars to help offset Californian's water bills, which could help if expenses get passed onto consumers in the future.
President of Kern County Farm Bureau, John Moore says help from the state is crucial, since at the moment Kern County farmers are running on 5% of the water they paid for.
We’re more efficient with our water here than anywhere else, in California and really in the world, because we produce more crop per drop, it’s something that needs to be of note, but we still need but we still need that resource to make that economy thrive, said Moore.
Now that Newsom has added 39 new counties including Kern, to his state of emergency proclamation, assemblyman Vince Fong had this to say:
Well certainly in Kern County, we know a drought when we see one. That's why myself and other Kern County legislators are calling on an emergency declaration of drought, to free up some resources and provide some flexibility that will allow water to flow to our communities. That action has been taken today so we're cautiously optimistic.
With all this being said, the governor says he's still not announcing a statewide state of emergency.
He also pushed to the saveourwater website for guidances on conserving water.
Things like looking for leaks in home. Saving water through leak protections, washing clothes with full loads, showers etc.
