Lessons on Climate Change and Poverty From the California Drought

8/20/2019 Lessons on Climate Change and Poverty From the California Drought

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Lessons on Climate Change and

Poverty From the California DroughBy Wendy Ortiz August 2015

WWW.AMERICANPROGRESS.O


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Lessons on Climate Changeand Poverty From theCalifornia Drought

By Wendy Ortiz August 2015


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1 Introduction and summary

4 The causes and severity of California’s drought

6 The drought’s impacts on the national food system

11 The demographics and water rights of California’s

agricultural communities

14 Impact on low-income agricultural communities in Califo

21 Policy recommendations

27 Conclusion

30 Endnotes

Contents


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1 Center for American Progress | Lessons on Climate Change and Poverty From the California Drought

Introduction and summary

Te enire sae o Caliornia is experiencing is wors drough in 1,200 years. 1

Reservoirs, underground aquiers, and snowpacks are a all-ime lows, orcing he

sae governmen o make unprecedened decisions abou he allocaion and conser-

vaion o he sae’s waer resources. For example, he oal amoun o waer sored in

he Sacrameno and San Joaquin river basins was 34 million acre-ee below normal

in 2014.2 Because he Caliornia drough hreaens he capaciy o he naion’s lead-

ing agriculural producer, i may have disasrous consequences or everyone living in

he Unied Saes. Human-driven climae change

is alering he naural variabiliy ohe climae, and droughs like his one are likely o coninue o occur.3

Te effecs o climae-ueled exreme weaher evens such as he curren Caliornia

drough, however, are no el equally. Raher, hey exacerbae exising socioeco-

nomic inequaliies. In Caliornia, communiies o color and low-income people

living in ribal, rural, and arming communiies have been carrying a dispropor-

ionae share o he drough’s burden since i began in 2012.

Te enduring effecs o racial segregaion and he underinvesmen in low-income

communiiesin Caliornia and elsewherehave placed people o color and

low-income people in environmens ha hreaen heir physical and emoional

healh. Low-income communiies and communiies o color are mos vulner-

able o he effecs o climae change due o poor-qualiy housing and inrasruc-

ure,4 proximiy o environmenal hazards,5 and economic insabiliy.6 Because

hese communiies have been insiuionally excluded rom accruing wealh and

asses7which are prominen indicaors o a amily ’s abiliy o prepare or unex-

peced shockshey are less able o survive and recover rom disasrous evens.

Recognizing he unequal impacs ha he drough has had on low-income peopleliving in ribal, rural, and arming communiies, Caliornia Gov. Jerry Brown (D)

approved a $1 billion drough relie package or small and rural communiies. 8


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Te drough relie package, which he legislaure passed on March 19, 2015, will

provide direc relie o agriculural workers and communiies who have been

mos affeced by he Caliornia drough. Te bill also provides “an addiional $17

million or emergency ood aid, $4.4 million or disaser recovery suppor, and

$24 million or emergency drinking waer in small and disadvanaged communi-

ies impaced by he drough.”9

On April 1, 2015, Gov. Brown signed an execuive order insiuing he firs

obligaory waer conservaion plan in he sae. Te order imposes a 25 percen

reducion in urban waer usage by waer suppliers o all Caliornia ciies and owns

hrough February 28, 2016; provides a saewide rebae program o replace appli-

ances ha are waer inefficien; requires replacemen o 50 million square ee o

lawns wih drough resisan landscapes; resrucures waer ees and penalies;

and regulaes underground waer use.10 As o April 2015, Caliornians in ciies and

owns had “increased heir waer conservaion o 13.5 percen.”11

While he drough relie package or small and rural communiies is an imporan

sep oward addressing he myriad issues ha affec access o clean and afford-

able waer, policymakers mus do more o proec he livelihoods o low-income

communiies and communiies o color rom he direc and indirec consequences

o he drough. Agriculural communiies hroughou he sae are suffering rom

high raes o unemploymen, limied and cosly access o sae and affordable waer,

ood insecuriy, and healh issues relaed o oxic underground waer. Caliornia

A.B. 685, Te Human Righ o Waer Billpassed on Sepember 25, 2012

made sae, clean, affordable, and accessible waer a undamenal human righ.12

Tis drough poses a significan challenge o ha responsibiliy and commimen.

Caliornia’s drough should also serve as a wakeup call or oher U.S. saes ha are

a risk or a severe drough, especially in he conex o exising economic inequi-

ies among residens. Tis repor explores he inersecion o climae change and

inequaliy in he conex o he Caliornia drough, highlighing he unique and

disproporionae challenges aced by Caliornia’s low-income and arming com-

muniies. Finally, he repor offers recommendaions or beter addressing hese

dispariies wih urgency in order o move oward jusice.


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Te recommendaions include:

• Mandaing ha he agriculural secor be included in saewide greenhouse

gas, or GHG, reducion sandards• Developing waer reducion sandards or riparian waer righs holders•

Lifing he 15-service-connecion minimum or waer sysems o receivefinancial suppor in order o help residens who rely on small, privae wells• Supporing and incenivizing climae resilien resource planning and

managemen• Focusing on green waer-inrasrucure projecs• Making he lives o he people mos affeced by he drough cenral o ederal,

sae, and local decision-making processes regarding he sae’s managemen

o waer resources

Wih a drough-produced defici o 11 rillion gallons o waer, coninuous

high emperaures, and no relie in sigh, he sae o Caliornia should ocus onshor- and long-erm resoluions ha cener around he well-being o hisorically

divesed communiies.13 Implemening he recommendaions oulined in his

repor would be an imporan sep in ha direcion.


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The causes and severity

of California’s drought

Because Caliornia regularly goes hrough cycles o we and dry years, periodic

droughs are a naural occurrence in he sae’s climae. However, he 2012–2015

drough has been exacerbaed by record warmh in he sae caused by climae

change.14 Climae change is expeced o increase he severiy o he curren

drough, which has he poenial o become a megadrougha period o minimal

rain and significan loss o soil moisure ha lass or several decades.15

Human aciviiessuch as he burning o ossil uels or elecriciy, on-road vehicles, indusrial producion, and agriculurerelease hea-rapping gases

ino he amosphere. Greenhouse gas emissions have been he primary cause o

climae change wihin he pas 50 years.16 On a global scale, indusrial agriculure

accouns or 14 percen o GHG emissions.17 In he Unied Saes, i accouns or

9 percen o oal emissions;18 indusrial arming pracices in Caliorniarom

inrasrucure developmen o producion, packaging, and ransporaioncon-

ribue significanly o his oal.19

More han one-hird o he naion’s vegeables and wo-hirds o he naion’s ruis

and nus are grown in Caliornia,20 and his produce ravels an average o 1,500

miles beore being eaen.21 Over he pas cenury, Caliornia’s indusrial arms have

become increasingly relian on synheic nirae erilizers o produce more ood

a a aser rae.22 Synheic nirae erilizers release nirous oxide ino he amo-

sphere, where i can dwell or up o 114 years.23 Carbon dioxide, anoher GHG

emited ino he amosphere rom peroleum used during ransporaion, accouns

or 27 percen o U.S. emissions. According o he Environmenal Proecion

Agency, or EPA, “Greenhouse gases ac like a blanke around Earh, rapping

energy in he amosphere and causing i o warm.”24 Permanen rises in he earh’s

average emperaure have he poenial o creae large and disasrous changes inclimae and weaher and are likely exacerbaing he curren drough and creaing

he condiions or low ood producion in Caliornia.25


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As o June 2, 2015, he enire sae o Caliornia was experiencing varying levels

o drough, according o he U.S. Drough Monior.26 Niney-our percen o he

sae, in erms o geographic area, was experiencing a “severe” drough, which is

he second-highes level o inensiy, while 47 percen o he sae reached “excep-

ional” levelshe highes level o inensiy.27 Tese figures are higher han las

year’s levels during he same period: In June 2014, only 25 percen o he sae wasexperiencing an “excepional” drough, meaning ha he percenage o he sae

enduring he highes level o inensiy almos doubled wihin one year.28

Snowpack levels ypically reach heir peak in April and begin o run off ino reser-

voirs and sreams as he weaher warms. As o May 1, 2015, saewide snowpacks,

which provide abou one-hird o he waer used by ciies and arms, were a 3

percen o heir average waer capaciy.29

During nondrough years, underground aquiers supply almos 38 percen o

Caliornia’s waer or urban and agriculural use.30 During dry years, ha shareincreases o 46 percen or more as surace waer levels decline and pumping or

groundwaer becomes he only opion.31 Excessive underground drilling has

conribued o long-lasing land degradaion as a resul o underground waer

depleion and has also caused opsoil loss. In some pars o he Cenral Valley, he

land has sunk as much as 12 inches per year since he drough began our years

ago. Tus ar, opsoil loss has led o inrasrucure and canal damage and sink-

ing bridges.32 Siphoning unlimied underground waer wihou replenishmen

deplees waer ha has accumulaed deep in he earh or hundreds o housands

o years and diminishes he sae’s main source o reserve waer.33

According o a Universiy o Caliornia, Davis, Cener or Waershed Sciences

repor, he drough had caused a ne waer shorage o 1.5 million acre-ee

hroughou he sae as o July 2014.34 Tis waer shorage did significan damage

o Caliornia’s agriculure indusry, which suffered a $1.5 billion loss in 2014 as a

resul. Te $1.5 billion loss included an $810 million loss in crop revenue, a $203

million loss in dairy and livesock value, and $454 million in addiional coss or

groundwaer pumping. Te oal saewide economic cos o he 2014 drough

amouns o $2.2 billion when he loss o 17,100 agriculural jobs is included.35

Te drough will coninue o affec every secor o Caliornia’s economy, including

agriculure, energy, wildlie, and local indusries.36 Tis rend hreaens America’s

ood supply, hurs rural economies and communiies, and is likely o place urher

srains on low-income households hroughou he sae.


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The drought’s impacts on

the national food system

Te direc and indirec effecs o he drough are driving down crop producion

across Caliornia arms, affecing boh crop yields and prices. Sparse access o

waer or irrigaion and higher emperaures hreaen he quaniy and qualiy

o ood grown in he sae. According o Proessor imohy Richards o he W.P.

Carey School o Business a Arizona Sae Universiy, limied crop producion has

caused sligh flucuaions in price on a naional scale, wih ood price increases

projeced or he uure.

California’s food production capacity

Crop producion in Caliorniahe leading agriculural producer in he naion

is declining because o direc and indirec consequences o he drough. During

nondrough years, Caliornia is he naion’s number one rui producer, grow-

ing a majoriy o he naion’s grapes, plums, srawberries, peaches, necarines,

raspberries, arichokes, olives, daes, and avocados.37 wo-hirds o he naion’s

produce and 80 percen o he world’s almonds come rom a 450-mile srech o

land: Caliornia’s Cenral Valley. Tis area alone grows 230 varieies o crops and

requires an immense amoun o capial, land, waer, and labor or producion.38

Farmers hroughou he sae o Caliornia have seen a decrease in crop yield as

a direc resul o a spike in emperaures, a decrease in rainall, and inconsisen

access o waer since he beginning o he drough. Te ollowing daa gahered

by he U.S. Deparmen o Agriculure, or USDA,39 looks a he percen change in

volumes o various commodiies rom 2011–2013 averages o 2014 levels.


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FIGURE 1

Change in fruit and tree nut production in California

Percent change in volume by commodity from 2011–2013 averages to 2014 levels

Sources: National Agricultural Statistics Service, Citrus Fruits Final Estimates 2008–2012 (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2014), available athttp://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/citrsb14.pdf; National Agricultural Statistics Service, Crop Production (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2015), available at http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/crop0315.pdf;

National Agricultural Statistics Service, Noncitrus Fruit and Nuts 2014 Preliminary Summary (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2015),available at http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/ncit0115.pdf; National Agricultural Statistics Service,

Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts Final Estimates 2007-2012 (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2014), available at http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publica-tions/Todays_Reports/reports/fnutsb14.pdf.

Almonds

Apples

Apricots

Blueberries

Cantaloupes

Dates

Figs

Grapefruit

Grapes

Honeydews

Kiwis

Lemons

Nectarines

Olives

Oranges

Peaches

Pears

Pistachios

Plumsand prunes

Raspberries

Strawberries

Sweet cherries

Tangerinesand mandarins

Walnuts

Watermelons

26.5%

22.8%

11.5%

7.7%

5.3%

2%

2.1%

16.9%

-18%

-50.5%

-18.1%

15.3%

13.4%

14.3%

-37.8%

-8.1%

-10.7%

-3.7%

-6.3%

-11.8%

-2.6%

-19%

-2.7%

-15.9%

-8.9%


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FIGURE 2

Change in vegetable production in California

Percent change in volume by commodity from 2011–2013 averages to 2014 levels

Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service, Vegetables 2014 Summary (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2015), available athttp://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/vgan0115.pdf; National Agricultural Statistics Service, Vegetables Final

Estimates 2008–2012 (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2014), available at http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/SB987/sb1033.pdf.

Artichokes

Asparagus

Bell peppers

Broccoli

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Chili peppers

Cucumbers

Garlic

Head lettuce

Leaf lettuce

Onions

Potatoes

Pumpkins

Romainelettuce

Snap beans

Spinach

Squash

Sweet corn

Sweetpotatoes

Tomatoes

7.3%

-16.8%

5.7%

33.1%

8.8%

7.1%

27.2%

3.0%

22.4%

4.4%

5.0%

15.9%

13.4%

-10.8%

-12.8%

-15.5%

-21.9%

-11.5%

-6.1%

-10%

-3.4%

-8.7%

-5.6%


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Lack o waer or irrigaion has had a negaive impac on armers’ operaions

a every level. During we years, armers irrigae heir arms wih waer rom

various sources. Te Cenral Valley Projec, or CVPa nework o canals and

aqueducs ha draws waer rom he Sierra Nevada snowpackis a major

source o waer or 3 million acres o armland and or six ou o he seven mos

producive arm counies in he counry.40

Because snowpack levels are a anall-ime low, however, he Bureau o Reclamaion esimaed ha mos armers

would receive almos no waer rom he CVP in 2015, or he second consecu-

ive year.41 As a resul, armers who have run ou o waer or irrigaion and do

no have he financial means o dig wells on heir propery or access waer rom

oher sources have been orced o le heir crops perish.42

While he depleion o waer in reservoirs and underground aquiers poses he

greaes direc hrea o agriculural producion in Caliornia, armers mus also

conend wih he indirec impacs o warmer emperaures. Te quaniy and qual-

iy o mos crops is likely o decline as climae change causes earlier springs and warmer winers. Warmer emperaures creae a flourishing environmen or paho-

gens and parasies, leading o greaer incidences o diseased crops and livesock.43

Alhough producion rom Caliornia arms has declined, consumers have no ye

el he impac o low producion because inernaional impors have increased o

keep ood accessibiliy sable. According o he USDA, a decrease in he producion

o some o he hardes-hi crops has no necessarily ranslaed ino less accessibiliy

o hese crops a major grocery sores ha buy inernaionally grown produce. Frui,

ree nu, and vegeable impors coninue o rise rapidly as demand grows and as

Caliornia’s producion capaciy coninues o decline because o he drough.44

However, small and large grocery sores hroughou he sae are noing ha

he drough is a poenial inhibior o heir abiliy o sell resh produce. Te

Caliornia Grocers Associaionwhich represens 80 percen o all grocery

sores in Caliorniais concerned ha limied planing and produce yield among

Caliornia arms may lead o a limied supply o cerain kinds o produce in gro-

cery sores. Alhough he impac on each ype and size o grocery sore is specula-

ive, large grocery sores have he advanage o global disribuion sysems o offse

he lack o availabiliy o cerain kinds o drough-affeced produce.45

Tis level osecuriy, albei emporary and uncerain, is no afforded o smaller grocery sores

or corner sores, which are ofen he main suppliers o ood or rural and urban

low-income communiies.46 Boh large and small grocery sores, especially hose

ha sell produce primarily rom Caliornia arms, have expressed concern abou

how naural disasers such as he curren drough will impac he abiliy o local

amilies o access affordable and nuriious ood.


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As he drough hreaens he availabiliy o cerain produce a small and corner

grocery sores, low-income amilies may be orced o make decisions ha sacrifice

heir nuriional needs47 and increase heir likelihood o physical illness.48

Price of food

Alhough uure price hikes are speculaive, lowered agriculural oupu caused

by waer scarciy and he increasingly high cos o waer or irrigaion may lead

o higher ood prices in he uure. Grocery sores across he Unied Saes

have already experienced sligh flucuaions in ood prices, which some expers

believe will coninue o rise as he drough leads o low agriculural oupu.49

A 2014 sudy by imohy Richards prediced ha numerous ruis and veg-

eablessuch as avocados, berries, broccoli, grapes, letuce, peppers, omaoes,

and packaged saladwould increase by 23 cens o 80 cens per pound by he

year’s end.50 Te lack o waer has also affeced ood produced rom livesock.For example, he price o bee and oher dairy producs rose by 10 percen o

12 percen over he same ime period.51 As o June 2015, he USDA projecs

ha resh rui prices will increase by 2.5 percen o 3.5 percen, while vegeable

prices will rise by 2 percen o 3 percen by year’s end.52

For he firs ime since 1977, he Sae Waer Resources Conrol Board, or

SWRCB, is sending curailmen noices o some riparian righs holders in an

atemp o conserve more waer.53 Riparian, or senior, waer righs allow people

who own land ha is direcly adjacen o a source o waer o use a share o he

waer flowing pas heir propery. Appropriaive, or junior, righs are insead

graned on a firs-come, firs-served basis. Senior waer righs holders have a

higher prioriy o waer han junior waer righs holders, especially during drough

years.54 According o he SWRCB, i senior righs holders’ waer is divered per

recen curailmen noices, he price o ood grown in Caliornia will see sligh

increases in prices, as armers will rely on more expensive groundwaer o help

produce heir mos valuable crop yields.55

Low agriculural oupu and poenial waer diversion plans spurred by he

drough have he poenial o increase he price o ood naionwide. While priceincreases have been modes so ar, even sligh flucuaions can affec a low-

resourced amily’s abiliy o mee is nuriional needs.


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The demographics and water

rights of California’s agricultural

communities

While waer scarciy due o he drough has become he greaes problem affec-

ing Caliornia armers, no all armers are suffering equally. Caliornia’s aniquaed

waer righs sysem exacerbaes exising economic inequaliies; some armers are

more able o cope wih he drough han ohers. Te drough also has a dispropor-

ionae impac on Caliornia’s agriculural laborers.

California’s farmers

Caliornia’s waer righs, which are based on senioriy, have orced newer arm-

ers and some firs-generaion immigran armers o disconinue heir waer use

or irrigaion, while riparian waer r ighs holders’ access o waer has remained

largely uninerruped.

Access o economic resources has creaed unequal oucomes beween more

well-esablished armers and newer armers who lack senioriy. Farmers wih

greaer economic resources or asses o leverage have coninued o irrigae

heir crops by digging new wells on heir propery, which cos approximaely

$300,000 o $350,000.56

Te hierarchy o Caliornia’s waer righs and he exravagan expenses needed or

underground drilling creae a sark disadvanage or newer and firs-generaion

immigran armers in he Cenral Valley. Hmong and Laoian armers are some o

he newes and mos disadvanaged armers in Caliornia. Many o hem came o

he Unied Saes as reugees and are using heir exensive knowledge o agricul-ural pracices rom heir naive lands o escape povery in his counry.57


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California’s farm laborers

In Caliornia, beween 2009 and 2011, 92 percen o armworkers were Lainos

rom Mexican and Cenral American communiies, and an esimaed 77 percen

o hose workers were undocumened.61 Wihin he pas 20 years, Caliornia

has seen a hreeold increase in indigenous armworkers rom Mexico and

Guaemala who speak an array o indigenous languages.62 Indigenous armwork-

ers experience unique challenges because many come o he Unied Saes as

monolingual, non-Spanish speakers.63

Farm laborers end o be poor, lack healh insurance, and live in subsandard

housing. Tey ofen endure slave-like working condiions o avoid deporaion

or loss o employmen.64 In 2011, he average annual income or Caliornia’s

arm laborers was $14,000. Nearly 75 percen o laborers were earning less

han 200 percen o he ederal povery line. Nearly wo ou o hree workers

had no healh insurance, and only 16 percen were covered hrough Medi-Cal,

Caliornia’s Medicaid healh care program.65

Te Naional Climae Assessmen repors ha “he poor, he very young, and

some older people have less mobiliy and ewer resources o cope wih exremely

high emperaures, increased waer scarciy, environmenal degradaion, and oherimpacs.”66 Farm laborers and he rural arming communiies in which hey reside

are one o he hardes-hi groups among hose whose daily livelihoods are being

hreaened by he Caliornia drough.

May Vu lives in Fresno County and is a prominent vendor at the

Fresno County farmers markets. Over the past several years, she has

grown flowers, broccoli, sin qua, cilantro, green onion, and bitter

melon on 11 acres of land.58 As her onsite well began to run dry,

she was forced to decrease her operation to 5 acres of land and

applied for a $7,000 loan from the USDA Farm Service Agency to dig

deeper into her well.59 Her request was denied because she leases

her farmland rather than owning it. Eighty percent of Hmong and

Laotian farmers lease their farmland, essentially making it impos-

sible for them to access the USDA resources necessary to with

the drought.60

Newer farmers, such as May Vu, who hold junior water rights are

line to receive water curtailment notices. When normal water allo

tion is diverted, farmers must rely on underground drilling to con

irrigating their crops. When faced with economic instability and f

and state funding eligibility restrictions, smaller, first-generation

ers are left with no other recourse but to allow their lands to fallo

The plight of junior water rights holders


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Native Americans are another especially vulnerable community

whose livelihoods are at risk of being disrupted because of the

California drought.67 Droughts uniquely affect tribal nations because

their native identities, ceremonies, practices, cultures, foods, medi-

cines, and languages are often tied to a specific place and land. Many

tribal communities, having already been systematically displaced

from their native lands,68 lack access to water during nondrought

years because of dams that divert their nearby water sources to other

communities in California.69

For example, the current drought has caused the decrease in the

salmon population upon which the Hoopa and Yurok tribes in No

California rely. Salmon in general is vital to the preservation of th

pa fishing practices, diet, creation story, and religion. Salmon are

critical to the culture of the Yurok tribe,70 which holds a salmon fe

every year.71 As the drought causes decreased water levels in stre

and rivers and the state makes decisions about water allocation,

Hoopa and Yurok fear that the coho salmon—which are already

federal and state endangered species lists—will be lost forever.72

Droughts undermine Native Americans’ way of life


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Impact on low-income agricultural

communities in California

Te direc and indirec consequences o he drough are disproporionaely affec-

ing low-income agriculural communiies across Caliornia. Among oher unique

challenges, hese communiies ace high unemploymen raes, lack o access o

clean and affordable waer, drough-relaed healh complicaions, ood insecuriy,

and rising uiliy bills.

Employment losses

Te Caliornia drough has led armers o le 500,000 acres o armland lay allow,

which has decreased crop producion and cos approximaely 17,100 armworkers

heir jobs. Richard Howita proessor emerius a he Universiy o Caliornia,

Davis, who sudies he economic impacs o he droughexplained ha arm

laborers are “leas able o roll wih he punches.”73 Howit noed “pockes o

exreme deprivaion where hey are ou o waer and ou o jobs” and prediced

ha “here are going o be more pockes o pain and povery.”74 In his 2015 repor,

Howit esimaed ha an addiional 20,000 jobs would be los in agriculure and

ood processing over he course o 2015.75

A common moto among arm laboring communiies has been, “No waer,

no work, no lie.”76 As he drough creaes high raes o unemploymen and as

exremely low wages are urher decreased by low agriculural producion, amilies

all deeper ino povery. Conrac laborpaying arm laborers by how much hey

pick, as opposed o an hourly wageis sill a common pracice among Caliornia

arms.77 Daily wages are coningen upon muliple acors ha are largely ouside

o arm laborers’ conrol. As armers leave housands o acres o armland allow

because o he drough, he arm laborers who have remained employed now havear ewer crops o pick and are hus earning ar less money han hey would have

in nondrough years. Trough no aul o heir own, ewer crops o pick means

less money o be made. Tis has led o economic devasaion or heir amilies and

communiies.78 Having low o no wages means ha arm laborers have less money

o access basic necessiies such as sheler, waer, and ood or heir amilies.


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Enire communiies o arm laborers are acing exreme povery as a direc resul

o he drough. As agriculural jobs become scarcer, some agriculural workers

have begun o move elsewhere or o ravel long disances in search o employ-

men.79 A sark decline in populaion or overall earnings or individual amilies

in small, rural owns has led o lowered consumer spending and a decrease in ax

revenue o und public services such as educaion and emergency responders.80

Te enduring effecs o hisorical arm labor devaluaion have creaed high con-

cenraions o povery-sricken amilies living in divesed communiies wih crum-

bling or inadequae housing and waer inrasrucure.81 As he Caliornia drough

persiss, he people who supply he labor ha eeds wo-hirds o he naion are

sruggling o overcome bleak employmen opporuniies amid a backdrop o oher

inequiies relaed o clean and affordable waer access.

Limited access to clean and affordable water

In 2012, Caliornia became he firs sae in he naion o pass legislaion affirming

ha access o waer is a undamenal human righ.82 A.B. 685 was passed ino law

on Sepember 25, 2012, and saes ha “every human being has he righ o sae,

clean, affordable, and accessible waer adequae or human consumpion, cooking,

and saniary purposes.”83 However, arm laborers living and working in Caliornia’s

agriculural communiies experience unique barriers o waer access because o

heir small waer sysems, compeiion wih surrounding arms or underground

waer, and conaminaion rom agriculural and oil producion operaions.

Small and rural communiies ace unique challenges in building alernaive waer

sources, pipelines, and wells because hey are geographically isolaed rom larger

waer sysems and canno access he echnical and financial resources necessary o

mee boh Environmenal Proecion Agency regulaions and growing cusomer

waer expecaions. Furhermore, small, local waer agencies are ofen under-

saffed and lack he financial resources o make inrasrucure repairs, insall waer

reamen plans, or develop long-erm comprehensive waer proecion plans.84

Te Sae Drinking Waer Sae Revolving Funda policy measure adoped by heSae Waer Resources Conrol Board on January 1, 2015allows communiy

waer sysems and nonprofi, noncommuniy waer sysems o apply or unds o

replace deecive waer meers, rea conaminan levels in he waer, and replace


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aged waer sysems.85 Unorunaely, such unds are only available or public waer

sysems, which he EPA defines as waer sysems ha make a leas 15 service

connecionsdefined as he connecion beween a cusomer’s household and

he waer sysemor regularly serve a leas 25 individuals.86 Up o 2 million

Caliornia residens are served by he 250,000 o 600,000 privae wells ha make

ewer han connecions.87

Tese EPA sipulaions urher marginalize he low-income communiies who live in sparsely populaed, unincorporaed areas across

Caliornia and who disproporionaely rerieve heir waer rom privae wells.

For he low-income people living in rural agriculural communiies in he Cenral

Valley, access o clean and affordable waer or personal use has become an espe-

cially grave concern. ulare Couny, or insance, is he mos impoverished couny

in he sae: Nearly one-hird o residens in he area live below he ederal povery

line.88 Many residens in ulare Couny and he surrounding unincorporaed

lands rely on personal propery wells o rerieve waer. In hese communiies,

agriculural wells and domesic wells pump waer rom he same undergroundaquiers. As he drough quickly deplees armers’ access o surace waer, arm-

ers who can afford o drill deeper wells o access underground waer or irrigaion

simulaneously deplee he waer available or household use.89

In Augus 2014, ulare Couny Supervisor Seve Worhley acknowledged ha

unregulaed drilling by surrounding arms has derimenal collaeral impacs on

individual households who rerieve heir waer rom he same aquiers bu ofen

lack he financial means o dig deeper ino heir own wells.90 In Augus 2014,

Worhley old KQED News, “We’re no in a posiion o ell armers, ‘No you can’

have a permi o drill a well so you can keep your crop alive,’ even hough we know

i has collaeral impac.”91

Te local waer agency in ulare Couny has suggesed ha individual households

pay he $7,000–$15,000 expense o dig deeper wells, an opion ha is nearly

impossible or he couny’s high percenage o low-income amilies.92 Because

urher drilling is oo expensive, residens have been orced o purchase and

ranspor waer o heir homes and use botled waer raions se by he couny.93

Tese effors are rarely enough o secure sufficien waer or amilies’ personal use.

Families ofen have o orego showers, washing clohes, cooking, and cleaning orear o running ou o waer oo soon.94


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Health complications

Farming communiies’ healh is compromised by he drough. Issues wih aridiy

and waer saey pose significan long-erm and dangerous healh risks or amilies

living in he rural agriculural secors o he sae. Exended periods o drough

coupled wih high winds and soil erosion are creaing hazardous dus problems inhe Cenral Valley. Te 500,000 acres o allowed armland caused by he drough

have reduced vegeaion and increased he amoun o ground surace paricles in

he air.95

Te American Lung Associaion’s “Sae o he Air 2015” repor saes ha he

drough has increased he number o days wih high shor-erm paricle polluion

in he Cenral Valley. For example, he Fresno-Madera areahome o hundreds

o housands o agriculural workersis he mos pollued meropolian area

in he naion and received an F raing in air qualiy.96 High shor-erm paricle

polluion in his area affecs a leas 955,272 people268,773 o whom are low-income residens.97 Te increased air polluion ha resuls rom allowed armland

produced by he drough places hese communiies a greaer risks or ashma,

chronic obsrucive pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease.98

As wih waer shorages caused by he drough, he burden o air polluion expo-

sure is unequally shared: Low-income communiies and people o color already

have a higher exposure o oxic air, soil, and waer.99 Te Caliornia drough is

worsening he already disproporionae impac o air polluion as underground

waer drilling and allowed lands urher degrade he sae’s naural resources.


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Food insecurity

In Caliornia, ood insecuriyhe limied or uncerain availabiliy o nuriious

oods or he uncerain abiliy o access hese oods due o lack o resourcesraes

are already higher han he naional average.109 Among arming counies in he

Cenral Valley, raes swell by an addiional 1 percen o 4 percen.110

Food banksofen he firs line o deense agains ood insecuriyare being

consrained by he drough. Across he sae o Caliornia, ood banks are grap-

pling wih he effecs o low agriculural producion rom he Cenral Valley. Te

Alameda Couny Communiy Food Bank, or ACCFB, provides nonperishable

oods and produce o 240 chariable ood agencies. During is 2014 fiscal year,

i provided 24.2 million meals.111 Fify-eigh percen o he ood i provided was

inenionally sourced rom local Caliornia arms o ensure reshness o produce

and o keep ransporaion coss low.112

Te ACCFB currenly pays 11 cens per pound o produce, which includes pick-

ing, packing, and reigh coss.113 However, he ACCFB adminisraion worries

ha Caliornia armers wih low agriculural oupu may ranser addiional coss

o he ood bank. I also ears having o source is produce rom ou-o-sae arms,

amilies in the Central Valley not only have to compete with farms for

access to water but also have to deal with chemical contamination in

their water from the agricultural and oil-producing sectors.

In January 2015, the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services

drafted a report citing the drought as a potential cause of increased

contaminant levels in groundwater supplies.100 As the drought causes

water levels in reservoirs, lakes, and underground aquifers to fall,

concentrations of dissolved toxins, such as arsenic and nitrates, begin

to rise.101 Industrial agriculture and oil and gas operations mobilize

heavy metals such as arsenic102 and thallium103 from the earth’s crust

into surface water and increase human exposure.104 In 2014, high

levels of thallium, arsenic, and nitrates were found in underground

aquifers in the Central Valley.105 Thallium is highly toxic and believed

to target primarily the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Arsenic exposure through drinking water has been linked to a v

of diseases, including bladder, lung, kidney, and skin cancers, a

as diabetes.107 In addition, runoff fertilizers from industrial agric

can increase exposure to nitrates, which can cause the serious b

disorder methemoglobinemia, especially among infants less th

months old.108

Many more families in Monterey County and other nearby com

ties may be forced to rely on bottled water supplies as groundw

levels decline and groundwater becomes too hazardous to drin

of oversight by state regulators in agricultural and oil operation

dangerously placed neighboring families at risk for health issue

threatened the safety of California’s scarcest resource.

Health impacts of chemical exposure


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which would drive up ransporaion coss. Even a 1 cen increase in he cos per

pound o produce could amoun o an addiional cos o $145,000 or he ACCFB

and would have a derimenal impac on is abiliy o improve ood securiy or he

amilies ha i serves.114

Te San Diego Food Bank serves 370,000 people each monh, including agri-culural workers in he area. However, he drough has mean less resh, healhy

produce available o eed amilies in need, paricularly amilies in agriculural

communiies ha are experiencing high raes o unemploymen.115 Similarly, he

Second Harves Food Bank o Sana Clara and San Maeo Counies, which serves

rural communiies rom Daly Ciy o Gilroy, receives an esimaed 27 million

pounds o donaed ood annually rom Caliornia arms.116 Drough-driven crop

yield decreases are likely o resul in less ood being donaed o hese areas, which

would have a negaive impac on ood insecure amilies living in ood desers,

where resh produce is difficul o afford and find.117

Rising utility bills

As a resul o he saewide mandaed waer decrease, many local waer disrics

have adoped higher waer raes or all consumers, wih exra ees or high-volume

users, in order o pay or he rising wholesale cos o waer. Tese local waer

deparmens argue ha rae increases will deer he overconsumpion o waer by

making i more cosly.118 As a resul, low-income amilies hroughou he sae are

sruggling o afford he higher prices.

For example, he small communiy o Canua Creekcomprised o mosly older,

reired, or disabled armworkers119relies on waer rom he Weslands Waer

Disric, which has a ederal waer conrac o procure waer rom large reservoirs

o serve small, rural communiies. Te waer supply passes hrough he disric o

Fresno Couny.120 In April, he disric ripled he price o waer or Canua Creek

residens, causing he couny o atemp o raise waer ees by $30 o cover he cos

o wholesale waer or he region. Residens reused o pay he ee increase, how-

ever, because he ap waer is undrinkable and because hey already pay addiional

money o access drinking waer.121

Shor-erm drough emergency unds provided by he sae could help Canua Creek cover is waer bill. However, he SWRCB is

requiring residens o decrease heir waer use even urher.122 ensions beween

local waer disrics ha eel he urgency o conserve waer and residens who eel

he unequal burden o paying more or oxic waer remain a poin o conenion

among small, rural communiies.


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Individual households hroughou he sae are also paying more or heir

energy bills as hydropower energy coninues is hree-year downward rajecory.

Insufficien waer o generae energy in Caliornia has spurred an increased reli-

ance on he burning o ossil uels or energy. Tis shif has cos raepayers $1.4

billion in uiliy bills and produced an 8 percen increase in carbon dioxide emis-

sions, seting Caliornia back on is goal o generaing 33 percen o is elecriciyrom renewable energy by 2020.123

Increased uiliy bills place excessive pressures on low-income amilies, who

already spend a large porion o heir earnings on ren and uiliy coss. Jerry

inoco, Souh Kern communiy programs coordinaor a he Communiy Waer

Cener in Arvin, Caliornia, saed, “I’s absurd ha people in poor communiies

have o pay or botled waer or filraion sysems on op o having o already pay

or a waer bill. In some cases hey can pay up o 10% o heir income in alernaive

drinking waer expenses.”124 Low-income amilies are also more likely o experi-

ence income volailiy, meaning ha flucuaions in various monhly coss could be derimenal o meeing heir mos basic needs. Coupled wih high unemploy-

men raes and oher unexpeced expenses, low-income amilies in Caliornia will

experience urher economic srain as he drough coninues.125


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Policy recommendations

As he drough coninues o ravage Caliornia and hreaen he livelihoods o he

communiies ha pu ood on our ables, ederal, sae, and local policymakers

mus ake immediae acion ha involves communiy grassroos organizers as

indispensable sakeholders in he waer managemen decision-making processes.

ogeher, hey mus work o miigae he impacs o he drough on low-income

amilies and work prevenaively o srenghen communiy resiliency in low-

income, rural, and ribal communiies.

Cut greenhouse gas emissions from industrial agriculture

Caliornia can reduce is saewide GHG emissions by ensuring ha indus-

rial agriculure is included under he sae’s climae change law, he Caliornia

Global Warming Soluions Ac o 2006. Congress should ensure ha saes have

he resources o cu heir carbon polluion and build sysems or alernaive

energy sources. Caliornia coninues o be he naion’s leading agriculural pro-

ducer, ye indusrial agriculure is mosly excluded rom he Caliornia Global

Warming Soluions Ac, which requires Caliornia o reduce is GHG emissions

by 15 percen by 2020.126

Agriculural pracices are responsible or approximaely 9 percen o U.S. green-

house gas emissions,127 which can exacerbae climae condiions or drough.

Waer efficiency, soil managemen, crop conrols, and more judicious erilizer and

pesicide use can reduce he emissions and environmenal impacs ha correlae

o drough condiions and reduced opporuniies or Caliornian agriculural

workers.128 Caliornia indusrial arms can aler heir managemen o land, crop,

livesock, and manure o decrease heir GHG emissions, while sill efficienly pro-ducing he same yield o ood. Including indusrial agriculural in he Caliornia

Global Warming Soluions Ac would make he agriculural secor accounable or

he proecion o he environmen and people’s healh.


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Te ederal governmen, meanwhile, delivers science-based knowledge and

resources o armers, ranchers, ores landowners, and resource managers hrough

is Climae Hubs program o suppor “climae-inormed decision-making.”129

Because all programs are volunary and incenive based, he U.S. Deparmen

o Agriculure should look o increase exising resources and incenives in he

Souhwes region, where Caliornia is locaed, o ensure ha he sae’s armersake greaer measures o do heir par o curb emissions.130

Develop water reduction standards for riparian water rights holders

Te Sae Waer Resources Conrol Board should develop waer conservaion

sandards or all secors ha parallel he expecaions o conservaion or urban

and rural consumers in he sae. While Gov. Brown implemened a mandaory

waer use reducion o 25 percen or urban ciies and owns, he agriculural sec-

or has been mosly exemp rom hese regulaions; he governor indicaed ha ihas suffered enough hrough allowed lands, loss o revenues, significanly reduced

waer allocaions, and housands o armworker layoffs.131 Consequenly, raher

han imposing mandaory reducions on he agriculural secor, he governor

allowed armers ime o develop heir own plans. Caliornia armers have unil July

1, 2016, o submi deailed drough managemen plans ha quaniy he amoun

o waer hey used rom 2013 o 2015 and describe he acions and measures hey

will ake o manage waer demand during he drough.132

No all armers, however, have shared in he burden o waer conservaion. Newer

armers who hold appropriaive righs are in heir second year o disconinued waer

use, while riparian righs holders have had almos uninerruped access o waer up

unil his year.133 For he firs ime since he 1977 drough, he SWRCB sen curail-

men noices o some senior righs holders in 2015.134 In response, a group o ripar-

ian righs holders in he Caliornia Dela have agreed o volunarily allow 25 percen

o heir land or reduce heir waer access by 25 percen i hey are exemped rom

uure cus, regardless i he drough worsens.135 On May 22, 2015, he SWRCB

approved hese volunary cus and he sipulaions associaed wih hem.136

While riparian righs holders mus share in he collecive responsibiliy odecrease waer use, conservaion effors should no involve guaraneeing uure

waer allomens o hose wih senioriy while housands o amilies in he Cenral

Valley go wihou waer. By excluding riparian righs holders in he Dela rom

any long-erm waer raioning sandards, he sae sends a clear message ha heir

righ o he sae’s mos scarce naural resource is more imporan han he daily

livelihoods o he people who supply he labor ha eeds he enire naion.


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On March 1, 2014, Gov. Brown passed legislaion expanding and sreamlining he

SWRCB’s auhoriy o enorce waer righs laws and increase penalies or users

illegally divering waer.137 Te SWRCB should ensure ha riparian righs hold-

ers who have no volunarily decreased heir waer use or allowed heir lands by

25 percen cooperae wih conservaion benchmarks and develop more efficien

irrigaion sysems o decrease wased waer. As uure decisions abou diveringriparian waer righs are made, he SWRCB should eliminae he delay beween

received curailmen noices and acual waer curailmens by diligenly racking

waer use and enorcing financial penalies when necessary. Gov. Brown should

also ensure ha sae regulaors have sufficien sensors, meers, and oher echnol-

ogy o rack armers’ use o surace waer and groundwaer, repor waer use, and

ensure enorcemen when necessary.138

Lift the 15-service -connection minimum

for federal and state financial support

Te Environmenal Proecion Agency should lif he 15-service-connecion

minimum or waer sysems o receive financial suppor in order o ensure ha

he 2 million Caliornia residens who rely on small, privae wells can access unds

rom muliple sources, including he Sae Drinking Waer Sae Revolving Fund.

Reners, privae well owners, and small waer sysem users are ofen ineligible or

ederal or sae unding because he EPA mandaes ha all eligible waer sysems

have a leas 15 service connecions.139

On March 27, 2015, Gov. Brown signed a $1 billion drough relie package or

small-communiy waer needs ha included, according o a release rom his office,

“emergency ood aid, drinking waer, waer recycling, conservaion awareness,

waer sysem modeling, species racking, inrasrucure and flood proecion

unding.”140 While his drough package is an imporan sep oward addressing

he needs o rural and arming communiies, upholding he 15-service-connecion

minimum adds an addiional barrier o renovaing or replacing inadequae waer

sysems or communiies ha ofen have no oher financial resources.


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Support and incentivize climate resilient

water resource planning and management

Te ederal governmen should expand is collaboraions wih sae, local, and

ribal governmens o assess climae change-relaed risks or waer sources and

suppor he developmen o susainable waer managemen plans. In 2013, he American Sociey o Civil Engineers gave he naion’s inrasrucure, including

everyhing rom waer sysems o bridges, a D+ raing and esimaed ha he

cos o inrasrucure developmen would amoun o $3.6 rillion by 2020.141

Prevenaive invesmens in our naion’s inrasrucure can improve he qualiy o

lie in low-income communiies, aver disasrous oucomes o exreme weaher

evens, reduce disaser coss, creae jobs, and drive economic growh.142

According o he presiden’s Sae, Local, and ribal Leaders ask Force On

Climae Preparedness and Resilience, “Te waer secor is vulnerable o climae

change hrough more inense droughs, exreme sorm evens, shifing precipia-ion, loss o mounain snowpack, Grea Lakes waer level decline, sea level rise,

ecosysem changes, degradaion o supply, sorage, and delivery inrasrucure,

emperaure rise, and oher impacs.”143 As he ask orce shows, he ederal

governmen can play an imporan role in ensuring ha all regions and levels o

governmen uilize climae-smar waer resource planning and managemen.

Federal conribuions could include daa sharing, providing echnical assisance in

evaluaing waer inrasrucure, and developing climae change resilience srae-

gies in projec design. One successul model he ask orce poins o is he Silver

Jackes Program. Silver Jackes sae eams are comprised o muliple ederal, sae,

ribal, and local agencies ha work ogeher o reduce he risk o exreme weaher

evens and enhance response and recovery effors. Silver Jackes eams work pre-

venaively and collaboraively o develop hazard miigaion, emergency manage-

men, flood plain managemen, naural resources managemen, and conservaion

plans. Te ulimae goal is o have sae-led ineragency eams in every sae ha

can use muliple financial resources, perspecives, and programming o find solu-

ions or he consequences o weaher-relaed evens.144

Te ederal governmen should place a higher prioriy on working collaboraively wih sae and local agencies o develop and financially suppor climae resilien proj-

ecs naionwide. Trough ineragency parnerships, he EPA, he U.S. Deparmen

o he Inerior, and municipal waer agencies can combine heir resources o develop

prevenaive climae resilien sraegies ha opimize he well-being o heir saes’

residens and build a cohesive response when naural disasers do occur.


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Focus on green water-infrastructure projects

Local governmens mus do more o develop green inrasrucure projecs ha

conserve and proec waer resources. Localiies and saes bear he brun o

operaion and mainenance coss or he vas majoriy o drinking waer and

wasewaer sysems. Unorunaely, a disproporionae amoun o resourcesgoes oward expanding hose services o new cusomers raher han upgrading

curren sysems. According o a previous Cener or American Progress repor,

“W hile his expansion has brough clean waer o new residenial developmens,

his preerence or new consrucion over repair does litle o address he healh

and economic needs o he majoriy o communiies relian upon exising inra-

srucure.”145 As local communiies rebuild crumbling inrasrucure, hey mus

build i back sronger and beter, as well as in more cos-effecive ways. Local

leaders mus explore lower-cos soluions o waer qualiy and reamen chal-

lenges hrough green inrasrucure invesmens.

Philadelphia, or example, is leading he way in green sormwaer managemen.

Sormwaer runoff is a major urban polluer as i can pick up debris, chemicals,

and oher polluans when i flows across sidewalks and driveways ino sewer

sysems and waerways. However, green sormwaer sysems rea runoff hrough

mechanisms such as green roos or permeable suraces ha soak up he waer.

Philadelphia has pledged o green nearly one-hird o is land over he nex 25

years, creaing a cheaper and more susainable sormwaer managemen sysem.

As a resul, Philadelphia is spending $2 billion on projecs bu avoided he con-

srucion o a new $10 billion unnel under he Delaware River.146

Partner with local organizations and organizers

Sae and local governmens should make communiy members inegral sake-

holders in he decision-making processes abou Caliornia’s sae waer resources

managemen. Te presence, voices, and experiences o he communiies mos

affeced by he drough should be a he cener o any decisions being made

on heir behal. I is vial or sae and local governmens o recognize ha he

rural and arming communiies mos affeced by he drough have been organiz-ing o voice heir concerns and needs, as well as o secure unding o mee heir

demands. By building coaliions, communiy advisory boards, and consisen

orums or public inpu, sae and local governmens can ensure ha managemen

plans will mee he needs o heir consiuens.


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For example, he Communiy Waer Cener, or CWC, in Visalia, Caliornia,

promoes communiy-driven waer soluions hrough organizing, educaion,

and advocacy in he San Joaquin Valley. Te CWC has empowered 2,674 local

residens in 82 communiies o improve heir access o sae, clean, and affordable

waer. Te CWC helps coordinae he Asociación de Gene Unida por el Agua, or

AGUA Coaliion, which mees every monh o discuss he roo causes o unsaeand unaffordable drinking waer and policy soluions o address hese barriers.147

Te Commitee or a Beter Arvina local grassroos organizing group in Arvin,

Caliornia, ha advocaes or clean air, waer, and land qualiysuccessully

pressured he local waer disric o apply or sae unding o provide arsenic-ree

waer dispensing machines. Trough is sraegic planning, i was able o secure

hose machines. Tey were also insrumenal in bringing o Arvin he Agua4All

pilo program, which seeks o increase access o drinking waer by making com-

muniy members inegral parners hroughou he process o developing drough-

relaed measures and by ideniying areas ha need new waer saions he mos.148

Farming communiies across he sae have been organizing hemselves o pres-

sure heir local, sae, and ederal governmens o und shor- and long-erm

soluions o he myriad waer issues hey experience on a daily basis, as well as o

creae permanen sysems o accounabiliy or he secors polluing heir waer,

air, and land. When projec developmen around waer issues is cenered on he

communiy’s needs and srenghs, he communiy members become he expers

and arbiers in he decision-making process. Having a powerul and meaningul

sake in local projec developmen also prevens sae and local agencies rom

making decisions on behal o communiy members ha may have uure negaive

repercussions. Sae and local agencies mus begin o see communiy members

as having a wealh o skills, knowledge, experience, educaion, and moivaion

ha should pu hem a he oreron o grassroos, local, sae, and ederal policy

effors o curb he consequences o he drough.


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Conclusion

Climae change is happening and will coninue o cause more requen, severe,

and susained exreme weaher evens on a naional and global scale. Caliornia

an agriculural superpower ha produces more han one-hird o he naion’s

vegeables and wo-hirds o he naion’s ruis and nusis suffering is wors

drough o dae. While he Caliornia drough disproporionaely affecs agri-

culural communiies, he enire naion should consider how prolonged periods

o drough in Caliornia hreaen he naion’s ood supply. All Americans should

consider he Caliornia drough as an example o how climae-relaed disasers willinerrup he daily livelihoods o low-income communiies and communiies o

color across he Unied Saes.

I behooves ederal, sae, and local governmens o work proacively o build

climae resilien communiies ha can survive and recover rom uure exreme

weaher evens. Te Caliornia drough highlighs he urgency o curbing he roo

causes o recen global climae change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I

also demonsraes he need o manage naural resources in order o prepare or

susained periods o drough in he Souhwes and o enac he recommendaions

oulined in his repor o curb he impacs o he drough on low-income commu-

niies in Caliornia and across he naion.

Years o waer overconsumpion by muliple secors, mismanagemen o waer

resources, minimal racking o underground aquiers, and poisoned waer sources

have degraded Caliornia’s agriculural fields and adversely affeced he land and

he people who oil on i. As people who rely on he land or physical andin he

case o Naive American ribes, spiriual nourishmencommuniies across he

sae are sruggling o survive as heir access o basic necessiies is hreaened by

he persisen drough.


31/38


Te coss o he drough are being disproporionaely borne by rural and agri-

culural communiies already suned by cenuries-old policies ha have creaed

condiions o high povery and subsandard, inadequae housing. In he mids

o one o he sae’s wors naural disasers, however, Caliornia has a unique

opporuniy o address is long hisory o arm labor exploiaion by cenering

decisions regarding he drough on he lives o he people who eed he enirenaion. Rural agriculural communiies in Caliornia should no be defined as

communiies o suffering bu raher as proacive communiies o people who are

collecively organizing o secure heir own shared well-being wihin and ouside

o local, sae, and ederal policy effors.


32/38


About the author

Wendy Ortiz was an Emerson Naional Hunger Fellow wih he Povery o

Prosperiy Program a he Cener or American Progress. Prior o joining he

Cener, she worked wih he exas Hunger Iniiaive in Dallas, exas, where she

was a communiy organizer and helped develop and aciliae organizing acicsrainings and suppored localized effors o address saey concerns, ciy ser-

vices access, ood injusice, youh developmen programming, and communiy

economic prosperiy. She also compleed he program evaluaion or he Family

Garden Demonsraion Projecan alernaive gardening program aimed a

increasing ood securiy among low-income amilies.

Acknowledgments

Te auhor would like o hank racey Ross, Cahleen Kelly, Danielle Baussan,and Miranda Peerson a he Cener or American Progress or heir guidance and

suppor in wriing his repor.

Special hanks o Jerry inoco, who works a he Communiy Waer Cener in

Arvin, Caliornia, or his insighs on communiy-level responses o he drough.


33/38


Endnotes

1 Daniel Griffin and Kevin J. Anchukaitis, “How unusualis the 2012–2014 California drought?”, GeophysicalResearch Letters 41 (24) (2014): 9017–9023.

2 Jay Famiglietti, “California has about one year ofwater stored. Will you ration now?”, Los Angeles Times,

March 12, 2015, available at http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-famiglietti-drought-california-20150313-story.html.

3 John Walsh and others, “Climate Change Impacts in theUnited States: The Third National Climate Assessment”(Washington: U.S. Global Change R esearch Program,2014), 19–67, available at http://s3.amazonaws.com/nca2014/low/NCA3_Full_Report_02_Our_Chang-ing_Climate_LowRes.pdf?download=1.

4 Tracey Ross, “A Disaster in the Making: Addressing theVulnerability of Low-Income Communities to ExtremeWeather” (Washington: Center for American Progress,2013), available at https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/report/2013/08/19/72445/a-disaster-in-the-making/.

5 Michelle L. Bell and Keita Ebisu, “Environmental

Inequality in Exposures to Airborne Particulate MatterComponents in the United States,” Environmental HealthPerspectives 120 (12) (2012): 1699–1704, available athttp://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/ehp.1205201.pdf .

6 Ross, “A Disaster in the Making: Addressing theVulnerability of Low-Income Communities to E xtremeWeather.”

7 Karuna Jaggar, “The Race and Gender Wealth Gap,”Race, Poverty & the Environment 15 (1) (2008): 79–81.

8 State of California, “Governor Brown, Legislative Lead-ers Announce $1 Billion Emergency Drought Package,”Press release, March 19, 2015, available at http://ca.gov/Drought/topstory/top-story-27.html.

9 Community Water Center, “Drought Relief Package a

Step Toward Water Justice,” Press release, March 31,2015, available at http://www.communitywatercenter.org/governor_brown_approves_1billion_drought_re-lief .

10 Executive Order no. B-29-15, California GovernmentCode (2015–16).

11 State of California, “Urban Water Conservation Improvesin April Ahead of June 25 Percent Conservation Man-date,” Press release, June 2, 2015, available at http://www.ca.gov/drought/topstory/top-story-36.html.

12 Human Right to Water Bill, A.B. 685, 2011–12 reg. sess.(2012).

13 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, “Need-ed: 11 Trillion Gallons to Replenish California Drought,”December 16, 2014, available at http://science.nasa.

gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/16dec_drought/.

14 Noah S. Diffenbaugh, Daniel L. Swain, and Danielle Touma, “Anthropogenic warming has increaseddrought risk in California,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America112(13) (2015): 3931–3936.

15 Benjamin I. Cook, Toby R. Ault, and Jason E. Smerdon,“Unprecedented 21st century drought risk in the Amer-ican Southwest and Central Plains,” Science Advances 1 (1) (2015), available at http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/1/e1400082.full.

16 Jerry M. Melillo, Terese Richmond, and Gary W. Yohe,eds., “Climate Change Impacts in the Un ited States:

The Third National Climate Assessment” (Washing-ton: U.S. Global Change Research Program, 2014),available at http://s3.amazonaws.com/nca2014/low/NCA3_Climate_Change_Impacts_in_the_United%20States_LowRes.pdf?download=1.

17 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Global Green-house Gas Emissions Data,” available at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/global.html (lastaccessed June 2015).

18 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Sources ofGreenhouse Gas Emissions,” available at http://epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/sources/agriculture.html(last accessed June 2015).

19 Center for Food Safety, “Food & Climate: Connecting

the Dots, Choosing the Way Forward” (2014), availableat http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/foodcli-mate_51242.pdf.

20 National Agricultural Statistics Service, California Agricultural Statistics 2013 Crop Year (U.S. Department ofAgriculture, 2015), available at http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Statistics/PDFs/CropYearStats2013_NASS.pdf .

21 Worldwatch Institute, “Globetrotting Food Will TravelFarther Than Ever This Thanksgiving,” available at http://www.worldwatch.org/globetrotting-food-will-travel-farther-ever-thanksgiving (last accessed August 2015).

22 Rhykka Connelly, “How Algal Biofertilizers Can Acceler-ate Sustainable Agriculture” (Austin, TX: The Universityof Texas at Austin 2011 Sustainability Symposium,2011), available at http://www.utexas.edu/sustainabil-ity/pssc/symposium/2011/16/.

23 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Overview ofGreenhouse Gases,” available at http://epa.gov/climat-echange/ghgemissions/gases/n2o.html (last accessedJune 2015).

24 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “ClimateChange: Basic Information,” available at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basics/ (last accessed June2015).

25 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, “Thecurrent and future consequences of global change,”available at http://climate.nasa.gov/effects/ (last ac-cessed May 2015).

26 U.S. Drought Monitor, “State Drought Monitor: Califor-nia,” available at http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA(last accessed June

2015).

27 Ibid.

28 Ibid.

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29 California Department of Water Resources, “ExecutiveUpdate: Hydrologic Conditions in California,” availableat http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/reports/EXEC-SUM (last accessed June 2015).

30 California Department of Water Resources, “Groundwa-ter,” available at http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/ (last accessed June 2015).

31 Ibid.

32 Lesley Stahl, “Depleting the Water,” 60 Minutes, Novem-

ber 16, 2014, available at http://www.cbsnews.com/news/depleting-the-water/.

33 Ibid.

34 Richard Howitt and others, “Economic Analysis of the2014 Drought for California Agriculture” (Davis, CA:University of California, Davis, Center for WatershedSciences, 2014).

35 Ibid.

36 Erik Sherman, “6 industries hurt by the Californiadrought,” Fortune, April 9, 2015, available at http://fortune.com/2015/04/09/6-industries-hurt-the-most-by-the-california-drought/.

37 U.S. Department of Agriculture, “California Drought:Crop Sectors,” available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/

topics/in-the-news/california-drought-farm-and-food-impacts/california-drought-crop-sectors.aspx(lastaccessed May 2015).

38 Mark Bittman, “Everyone Eats There,”The New York TimesMagazine, October 10, 2012, available at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/magazine/californias-central-valley-land-of-a-billion-vegetables.html?_r=0.

39 U.S. Department of Agriculture, “California Drought:Crop Sectors.”

40 Brett Walton, “California Drought Cuts Farm WaterAllocation to Zero for Second Consecutive Year,” Circleof Blue, February 27, 2015, available at http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2015/world/california-drought-cuts-farm-water-allocation-zero-second-consecutive-year/.

41 Ibid.

42 Elizabeth Campbell, “California Ranchers Miss Beef Rallyas Drought Cuts Herds,” Bloomberg Business, February9, 2014, available at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-02-10/california-ranchers-miss-beef-rally-as-drought-cuts-herds.

43 Center for Food Safety, “Food & Climate.”

44 U.S. Department of Agriculture, “California Drought:Food Prices and Consumers,” available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/in-the-news/california-drought-farm-and-food-impacts/california-drought-food-prices-and-consumers.aspx (last accessed May 2015).

45 Dana Hull, “California drought to drive up food prices inthe long term,” San Jose Mercury News, March 11, 2014,available at http://www.mercurynews.com/business/

ci_25322583/farm-fork-california-drought-drive-up-food-prices.

46 Sarah Treuhaft and Allison Karpyn, “The Grocery Gap:Who Has Access to Healthy Food and Why It Matters”(Oakland, CA, and Philadelphia: PolicyLink and TheFood Trust, 2010), available at http://thefoodtrust.org/uploads/media_items/grocerygap.original.pdf .

47 U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic ResearchService, “Food Price Outlook, 2015-2016,” available athttp://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings.aspx#.U2J-a1fRaAh (lastaccessed August 2015).

48 Melillo, Richmond, and Yohe, eds., “Climate ChangeImpacts in the United States.”

49 Debbie Freeman, “Which foods may cost you moredue to Calif. drought,” Arizona State University News,April 16, 2014, available at https://asunews.asu.

edu/20140416-business-drought-grocery-prices-richards.

50 Ibid.; Michael Martinez and Alexandra Meeks, “How his-toric California drought affects rest of nation, often forthe worse,”CNN News, April 3, 2015, available at http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/03/us/california-drought/.

51 Michael Martinez and Alexandra Meeks, “How historicCalifornia drought affects rest of nation, often for theworse,” CNN, April 3, 2015, available at http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/03/us/california-drought/.

52 U.S. Department of Agriculture, “California Drought:Food Prices and Consumers.”

53 State of California, “State Water Board Extended Curtail-ments on the Merced River,” Press release, June 26,2015, available at http://ca.gov/drought/topstory/top-

story-39.html.

54 California State Water Resources Control Board, “TheWater Rights Process,” available at http://www.water-boards.ca.gov/waterrights/board_info/water_rights_process.shtml (last accessed August 2015).

55 Eric Holthaus, “It’s Gotten This Bad: California Movesto Restrict Farmers’ Oldest Water Rights,” The Slatest,May 21, 2015, available at http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/05/21/california_drought_water_re-strictions_are_coming_for_farmers_with_century.html.

56 Brian Clark Howard, “California Drought SpursGroundwater Drilling Boom in Central Valley,” NationalGeographic , August 16, 2014, available at http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/08/140815-central-valley-california-drilling-boom-groundwater-drought-wells/.

57 Erica Mu, “Hmong Farmers Losing Battle AgainstDrought,” KQED News, December 6, 2014, availableat http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/12/06/hmong-farmers-losing-battle-against-drought.

58 Ibid.

59 Ibid.

60 Ibid.

61 California Research Bureau, “Farmworkers in California:A Brief Introduction” (2013), available at http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/13/s-13-017.pdf .

62 Ibid.

63 Ibid.

64 Lisa Wade, “Pesticide Drift and the Politics of Scale inCalifornia’s Central Valley,” Pacific Standard , March 5,2015, available at http://www.psmag.com/nature-and-technology/pesticide-drift-and-the-politics-of-scale-in-californias-central-valley.

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Lessons on Climate Change and Poverty From the California Drought

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