Governor Jerry Brown’s latest executive order to combat the drought has some aid for farmers, fish and firefighters – and some requests for all Californians. Ben Adler has more from Sacramento.
Don’t water your lawn more than twice a week. Get your car washed with recycled water. And use your broom instead of your hose to clean your sidewalk and driveway. Governor Jerry Brown says those are some ways Californians should help reduce water use during the drought. They are requests, not orders – so compliance is voluntary. So too are the governor’s calls for golf courses to reduce irrigation, restaurants to serve water only when customers ask, and hotels to avoid washing guests’ towels and sheets every day.
But Brown’s executive order does have some binding provisions. It streamlines contracting rules for CalFIRE and the governor’s Office of Emergency Services. It speeds up voluntary water transfers for farmers. And it expedites habitat restoration projects for fish. It also includes a limited waiver of California environmental laws on several drought-related actions through the end of the year.
