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Posted on 04/16/2021 11:30:37 AM PDT by Vendome

Gov. Gavin Newsom stood on a boat ramp at Lake Oroville on Tuesday — a boat ramp that couldn't reach the water because the reservoir was nearly 60% empty — and acknowledged what many Californians already know.

© FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/TNS A sign calls for solving California's water crisis on the outskirts of Buttonwillow in California's Kern County on April 2, 2021, one of the top agriculture producing counties in the San Joaquin Valley where dairy, grapes, almonds, strawberries, and pistachios contribute billions to the economy each year.

"We're in the second year of these drought conditions," he said.

But Newsom, who was in Oroville to sign a bill appropriating $536 million in wildfire-prevention funds, said he isn't ready to declare an official drought emergency, as his predecessor did six years ago. Instead, he promised he can manage the situation without resorting to an emergency declaration, which could help his administration clamp down on water use.

"We are on top of this; we are mindful of the urgency," he said.

(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...

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