Politics & Government

Gov. Brown Declares Drought Emergency in California

Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday proclaimed a drought state of emergency in California.

"We have to recognize this is not a partisan adversary," Brown said at a news conference in San Francisco Friday morning. "This is Mother Nature. We have to live within the resources we have," the governor said.

Brown said 2014 is projected to become the driest year on record in California. His proclamation of a state of emergency includes a series of executive orders requiring state agencies to aid affected farmers and communities by expediting water transfers and releasing stored water from reservoirs.

The governor also ordered state agencies to implement water conservation plans and called on all Californians to reduce their water usage by 20 percent.

"We all depend on one another," he said.

Brown said he hopes to get federal aid to deal with the drought but said he did not know specifically what that aid might be.

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