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The news in my state is bad. Well, mostly bad. After all, the Oscars are tomorrow. But the budget's a mess, the economy sucks, and on top of that there's a drought. What's next, an earthquake?
To manage water in the face of the drought, the federal government is cutting off water to many California farms for at least three weeks in March. The amount of time without water will depend on whether we get rain in the next few weeks. In the San Joaquin Valley, the drought will cause an estimated $1.15 billion (with a B) in lost agriculture-related wages and 40,000 lost jobs in farm-related industries. And if that ain't bad enough, the New York Times reports that the problems go beyond food in affected towns:
Across the valley, towns are already seeing some of the worst unemployment in the country, with rates three and four times the national average, as well as reported increases in all manner of social ills: drug use, excessive drinking and rises in hunger and domestic violence.
California farms receive 80% of their water from federally-managed supplies and the rest from the state. The feds are turning off the tap, but farmers may still receive some water from the state. Unfortunately for the farmers, some of the water may be legally unavailable to them due to laws or rulings protecting endangered species.
(Meanwhile, in the parts of the state where I hang out - San Diego and Los Angeles - I've seen idiots who let their automatic sprinkler systems water their already wet lawns on rainy days recently.)
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