SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency Monday for an additional 39 of California’s counties, a step he earlier resisted taking despite calls from elected officials in both parties.
The governor said swift action is needed to protect counties from the severe environmental and public health affects of two years of minimal rainfall. His proclamation includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, and Solano counties in the Bay Area, and brings the total to 41 of the state’s 58 counties now under drought emergency.
Newsom last month had declared a drought status for Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Combined, the 41 designated drought counties include about 30% of the state’s population.
“With the reality of climate change abundantly clear in California, we’re taking urgent action to address acute water supply shortfalls in northern and central California while also building our water resilience to safeguard communities in the decades ahead,” Newsom said in a statement.
Newsom’s proclamation Monday primarily affects counties that are reliant on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Tulare Lake Watershed and Klamath River to supply water for homes and agriculture.
For weeks, Newsom has resisted bipartisan calls to declare a statewide drought emergency, a step that triggers a series of actions to reduce water usage in the state. He earlier downplayed the significance of such a declaration, saying the state can move forward with many drought measures without officially calling the situation an emergency.
On Monday, Newsom’s administration said extraordinarily high temperatures in April and early May had accelerated the snowmelt and worsened the crisis.
The governor also was expected Monday to introduce a $5.1 billion plan to fund water infrastructure and conservation projects.
Newsom’s drought proclamation directs the State Water Board to consider limiting water releases from reservoirs so more can be stored for later in the year, when it might be needed to supply communities and protect river levels for salmon and steelhead.
His order also allows state agencies to more easily transfer water to agriculture and other priority users.
In addition, California has launched a new public awareness campaign to encourage people to conserve water.
“It’s time for Californians to pull together once again to save water,” California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot said in a statement. “All of us need to find every opportunity to save water where we can: limit outdoor watering, take shorter showers, turn off the water while brushing your teeth or washing dishes.”
Last month, a group of state legislators from the Central Valley wrote to Newsom urging him to declare an emergency so the state can mitigate the effects of drought on farmers and the food -supply chain.
“California produces half of the nation’s livestock and produce products, which are an essential part of our economy and a crucial aspect of our national security,” the legislators wrote.
At the federal level, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in March declared that 50 of California’s 58 counties were disaster areas because of drought. That action allowed farmers to apply for emergency loans.
Former Gov. Jerry Brown issued the last statewide drought declaration, in 2014, and kept it in place for three years.
Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
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Newsom, in ‘urgent action,’ expands drought emergency to 41 of California’s 58 counties - San Francisco Chronicle
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