1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:03,720 Speaker 1: You crack open a doctor pepper. You know it'll only 2 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 1: make you more thirsty in the long run, but you 3 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:08,080 Speaker 1: need some liquid in your mouth, and you're saving your 4 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: remaining fifteen gallons for a quick shower. The ew hall 5 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: is finally almost packed up. You may be able to 6 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:16,959 Speaker 1: make it down to San Francisco in time. Living in 7 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:19,600 Speaker 1: Redwood Valley has been nice the last few years. It's 8 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,280 Speaker 1: a beautiful place, but in August of twenty twenty two, 9 00:00:22,360 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 1: the drought became too much. Late last year, California's new 10 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: far right governor lifted all water restrictions on farmers. This 11 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: sparked a new state wide race to use what water 12 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,559 Speaker 1: was available before it ran out. Lake Mendesino was already 13 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 1: low at the beginning of the year, and for the 14 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: first time in your memory, it is now completely empty. 15 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: San Francisco isn't doing great either, but it's much better 16 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: off than where you live. The Russian River Watershed relies 17 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: almost entirely on rainfall and is isolated from state and 18 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:53,199 Speaker 1: federal aqueducts. After the governor lifted water restrictions, new almond 19 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: and pot farms started sucking up ground water, and by 20 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: the end of the summer, they'd started pumping from the 21 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: river to feed their thirsty crops. By mid July, your 22 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: town implemented a twenty five gallon limit per person per day. 23 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: That's about as much water as you go through during 24 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: a five minute shower. The first thing you sacrificed was 25 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: your garden. Then you stopped flushing after you peid. These 26 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: tweaks added up, though, and without water, the lifestyle you'd 27 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: loved just stopped being possible. Your brother in San Francisco 28 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:21,959 Speaker 1: offered to let you move in with him. You weren't 29 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: a fan of the big city, but at least you'd 30 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 1: be able to shower again. And so you find yourself 31 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: sipping an empty soda can and loading up your last 32 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:31,399 Speaker 1: few boxes into the U haul. You give your brother 33 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:33,760 Speaker 1: a quick call saying you're all packed up and about 34 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 1: to head out. He sounds worried and mentions something about 35 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: his school letting new teachers go do to budget cuts. 36 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: You can't really afford to think about that. Now, you 37 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 1: just need to leave. Since you're all sweaty from loading 38 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: the U haul the last few days, you decide to 39 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: hop into the shower one last time. You knew it 40 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: wouldn't last long, but you still seemed surprised when the 41 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: water turned off after what felt like only two minutes. 42 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: You quickly dry off and grab some clean clothes from 43 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: your backpack and throw your damp towel into the passage 44 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: your seat of the truck. You say goodbye to your 45 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: home of ten years and to your old succulent plants, 46 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: and begin the three hour drive down to San Francisco. 47 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: Water scarcity is a problem you're probably already familiar with, 48 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:19,120 Speaker 1: especially if you live in the Southwest. California has dealt 49 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:22,240 Speaker 1: with particularly brutal droughts over the last twenty years, and 50 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: the Golden States water problems could be about to get 51 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: much much worse, because in just a few days, California 52 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: might find itself helmed by a far right governor with 53 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: a near religious hatred of water conservation. Electoral politics are 54 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 1: not generally a big focus on this show, but what's 55 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: going on in the state of California could have serious 56 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 1: implications for many people, including those outside the West Coast. 57 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 1: The ongoing recall campaign against Governor Gavin Newsom started out 58 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 1: in June of with Republican politicians and activists unhappy with 59 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: Newsom's handling of the pandemic. Newsom's opposition to President Trump's 60 00:02:56,160 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 1: cracked down on undocumented immigrants also played a role. This 61 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:02,360 Speaker 1: is actually the fifth recall attempt against Newsom since he 62 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 1: took office in twenty nineteen, but it's the first one 63 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 1: to gain traction. It's fueled in part by Newsom's own 64 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 1: hypocrisy and hubris. On November six the recall effort gained 65 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: court approval for a signature gathering extension, and later that night, 66 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: Governor Newsom went to a birthday party for a Sacramento 67 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: lobbyist and friend at French Laundry, a pricing Napa Valley restaurant. 68 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 1: Soon after, photo surfaced of Newsom mingling maskless at the 69 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: packed restaurant. He faced heavy criticism and apologized, but the 70 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:34,079 Speaker 1: damage was done. Republicans latched onto this as an opportunity 71 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: to finally push the recall effort through. The recall petition, 72 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: which had only fifty five thousand and five signatures on 73 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 1: the day of the dinner, had nearly half a million 74 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: a month after the November sixth incident. California's recall process 75 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: is probably the least democratic one in the United States. 76 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: Gathering signatures to authorize a recall election is a pretty 77 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 1: standard thing, but California has among the lowest signature requirements 78 00:03:57,520 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 1: and states that allow for the recall of an official. 79 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: Most states require that the recall campaign must gather signatures 80 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 1: equal to twenty five percent of the votes cast in 81 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: the last election. California requires just twelve percent for executive officials. 82 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: The li Times notes quote that might have been a 83 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 1: high bar in nineteen eleven, when the population was scattered 84 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 1: across the seven hundred and seventy mile length of the state, 85 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 1: But is it too low in twenty one when petitions 86 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: for ballot measures are gathered and moss by paid staff 87 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:26,920 Speaker 1: and parking lots. And that's not the only questionable aspect 88 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: of California's recall process. On recall election day, voters will 89 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 1: face two questions on the ballot. First, yes or no 90 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 1: on whether to recall Governor Gavin Newsom from office. Second, 91 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: and this one is technically optional, If so, who among 92 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: the forty six candidates do you want to take his place? 93 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:46,720 Speaker 1: The first question is decided by a simple majority, just 94 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: like other ballot measures, but when it comes to the 95 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:53,280 Speaker 1: second question, the percentage requirements change. The replacement candidate doesn't 96 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,160 Speaker 1: need more than fifty percent to win, So if more 97 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: than fifty percent of the voters say yes on the 98 00:04:58,279 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 1: recall question, Governor knew Some must step down, even if 99 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:05,160 Speaker 1: he has more overall support than any other individual challenger 100 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: on the ballot. The replacement question is determined by who 101 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: gets the most votes among the challengers on the ballot, 102 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 1: which Newsom cannot be on. So forty nine point nine 103 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 1: percent of the voters can back Mr Newsom and he 104 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,039 Speaker 1: can still lose to someone who is supported by only 105 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 1: say of the electorate or even a smaller fraction. For 106 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:25,920 Speaker 1: other California elections, including special elections triggered by the death 107 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: or resignation of an official, a candidate cannot win without 108 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:31,799 Speaker 1: the support of a majority of voters. If a candidate 109 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: doesn't win over fifty outright, then the top to compete 110 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:38,839 Speaker 1: in a runoff election. Not the case for California's recall process. 111 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: Organizers of the recall campaign submitted two point one million 112 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,040 Speaker 1: signatures by the March seventeenth filing deadline. One million, seven 113 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:49,599 Speaker 1: hundred nineteen thousand, nine hundred signatures were ultimately determined to 114 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:52,280 Speaker 1: have been valid, which was enough to trigger the recall. 115 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,159 Speaker 1: The deadline for casting your vote is September. If the 116 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 1: recall succeeds, the new governor would be in office for 117 00:05:58,800 --> 00:06:03,479 Speaker 1: the remainder of Mr. Newsom term through January, and that 118 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: leaves a lot of time for executive factory, especially considering 119 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:22,320 Speaker 1: the new front runner. Far right radio talk show host 120 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 1: and frequent Fox guest Larry Elder, has emerged as the 121 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 1: likely candidate to replace Newsom in the event the recall 122 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:31,039 Speaker 1: goes through. Elder, who was sixty nine, jumped into the 123 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: race relatively late in the game during mid July. At 124 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 1: that time, it was more of a toss up between 125 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:40,039 Speaker 1: Republican candidates Kevin Falconer, a former San Diego mayor, and 126 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 1: businessman John Cox, who lost badly to Newsom in the 127 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: gubernatorial election. Assemblyman Kevin Kylie and former athlete in media 128 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: personality Caton Jenner pulled less well. But as Larry Elder 129 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 1: entered the race, he almost immediately became the front runner 130 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 1: in polls and raised lots of money from small donors, 131 00:06:57,839 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 1: and the three weeks after he announced his campaign raised 132 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: nearly four and a half million dollars according to fundraising disclosures. 133 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:08,480 Speaker 1: That's more than every other Republican challenger sans multimillionaire businessman 134 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: John Cox, who's largely funding his own campaign. Elder has 135 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: been a central figurehead of the right wing radio talk 136 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: show scene since the nineties, but has always been hesitant 137 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 1: to run for public office, deeming the state of California 138 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 1: ungovernable due to its liberal supermajority, But after talking with 139 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: his friend and mentor Dennis Praeger of the neo fascist 140 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:30,440 Speaker 1: propaganda outlet Praeger You, he figured it might be worth 141 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 1: a shot, and has expressed desire to use the emergency 142 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: powers of the governor to push the state right words. 143 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: Elder was born in Los Angeles, but moved to Cleveland 144 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: to attend law school and opened his own firm in 145 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty. Elder's career began as a bit of an accident. 146 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: He'd been invited on a Cleveland station as a guest. 147 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: He did so well on air that when the regular 148 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:52,760 Speaker 1: host went on vacation the following week, the program director 149 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:55,760 Speaker 1: asked Elder to fill in. Soon enough, Elder had his 150 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: own weekly time slot on the Cleveland station. In the 151 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:01,880 Speaker 1: early nineties, a guest most from Los Angeles, Dennis Prager, 152 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 1: visited Cleveland. Elder quickly impressed Praeger with his on air 153 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: wit and talent, coupled with the uniqueness of a black 154 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: man openly expressing extreme conservative views. Praeger persuaded his home 155 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 1: station KBC in Los Angeles to give Elder a shot. 156 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: Quoting the l a Times, Elder returned to his hometown 157 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety four, two years after the civil unrest, 158 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:24,480 Speaker 1: following the acquittal of the officers who beat Rodney King, 159 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: and in the midst of the O. J. Simpson murder case. 160 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: The program director at rival k f I, David G. Hall, 161 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:33,680 Speaker 1: felt KBC made a creative move bringing on this guy 162 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 1: from South Central who swung the other way on race. 163 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 1: Almost from the beginning, the self proclaimed sage from South 164 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: Central whipped up a fewer. He mixed sound bites from 165 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:46,240 Speaker 1: Representative Maxine Waters with a recording of a barking dog. 166 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: He said, Blacks exaggerate the significance of racism, while women 167 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 1: did the same in regards to sexism. For nearly four years, 168 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 1: Elder has slapped many members of his own race in 169 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 1: the face on radio, belittling them as whiners or losers, 170 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:02,319 Speaker 1: holding himself up as a model of African American excellence. 171 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:04,959 Speaker 1: He's become a darling of white listeners, who seemed to 172 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: almost gush when they telephone him on k ABC Talk radio. 173 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:10,720 Speaker 1: They are astonished to find a black man who not 174 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:13,480 Speaker 1: only isn't going to chastise them, but who also often 175 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 1: agreed with them, a black man who declared that race 176 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:20,439 Speaker 1: was no longer a significant factor in American society. Elder 177 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 1: also doesn't believe that racial profiling exists. This is despite 178 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:26,719 Speaker 1: telling The Times editorial Board that police pulled him over 179 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:29,319 Speaker 1: between seventy five and a hundred times the first year 180 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 1: he had his driver's license. Elder's regressive, provocative content angered 181 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:37,240 Speaker 1: mine Angelinos and black citizens of California led a boycott 182 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:39,959 Speaker 1: of advertisers on the show. It worked, and by the 183 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 1: late nineties the show had begun losing millions in ad revenue. 184 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: But thanks to syndication, changing networks, podcasts, and TV appearances, 185 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: Elder has been able to remain a central figure of 186 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,720 Speaker 1: the right wing content sphere. He most recently starred in 187 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 1: a video series for far right propaganda organization and literal cult, 188 00:09:56,559 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 1: The Epoch Times. According to Elder's campaign, the central recall issues, 189 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 1: he is focusing on our rampant crime rising homelessness, out 190 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:08,720 Speaker 1: of control costs of living, water shortages, disastrous wildfires, rolling 191 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:12,440 Speaker 1: brown outs, and repressive COVID restrictions. For this show, we'll 192 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:14,560 Speaker 1: be focusing on the last three as they relate to 193 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:18,439 Speaker 1: the rapidly shifting and hostile climate. For the past thirty years, 194 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:21,600 Speaker 1: Elder has been a classic conservative climate denier. He had 195 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: a whole section of his website devoted to debunking the 196 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:29,000 Speaker 1: Gore bull warming myth like Al Gore bullshit warming myth. Yeah, 197 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: it's a bad pun. In a CNN interview prior to 198 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:34,360 Speaker 1: the two thousand eight election, Elder called global warming a 199 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:37,560 Speaker 1: false myth, while disparaging and making fun of both John 200 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:40,319 Speaker 1: McCain and George W. Bush for discussing global warming is 201 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:43,719 Speaker 1: a serious issue. However, more recently, Elder has shifted his 202 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 1: rhetoric around the climate. In an interview last month, he 203 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 1: expressed belief that some warming is taking place, but by 204 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:53,319 Speaker 1: using old soft denialist talking points climate is always changing. 205 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:55,120 Speaker 1: Of course, the climate is changing. The question is what 206 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 1: do we do about it? Do we deal with the 207 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:58,520 Speaker 1: effects of it, or do we force feed renewables based 208 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:00,840 Speaker 1: economy down the throats of people jacking up the price 209 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,280 Speaker 1: of energy a disproportionate pain for poor people. But of 210 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:05,640 Speaker 1: course there's climate change, and the climate is getting warmer, 211 00:11:05,679 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 1: and maybe about a degree or so in the last 212 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:10,320 Speaker 1: several years, and it will likely continue. He adds, what 213 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:13,680 Speaker 1: I don't believe in is climate change alarmism. He also 214 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: said that he was not sure whether climate change is 215 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:19,360 Speaker 1: making wildfires worse. Quote fires have gotten worse because the 216 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:22,319 Speaker 1: failure of this governor to engage in sensible fire suppression. 217 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 1: Elder also blames California's rising housing costs on environmental extremists 218 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 1: that jack up the cost of housing so that developers 219 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 1: have to wait and wait and get sued over and over. 220 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:33,080 Speaker 1: Agains that finally, when the home is built, it's way 221 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,680 Speaker 1: more expensive than otherwise it would be without these environmental 222 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 1: rules and regulations. Despite the slight back pedaling on climate 223 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 1: for better media optics, his potential policies on the topic 224 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: are just as horrendous as one might assume. In a 225 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:47,439 Speaker 1: recent video news conference, Elder declared that he would in 226 00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:49,680 Speaker 1: the war on oil and gas and the attack on 227 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: the logging industry, will also reducing regulation on fracking and 228 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:56,520 Speaker 1: stopping California's growing efforts to expand when in solar power, 229 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:59,880 Speaker 1: which he calls not very efficient. Elder did not men 230 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:14,240 Speaker 1: and climate change during his news conference. Water scarcity will 231 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:17,520 Speaker 1: be an increasingly severe concern for California in the coming years. 232 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 1: Drought is already a major political talking point among voters 233 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:23,720 Speaker 1: and politicians, and it creates another rift between city folk 234 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:26,760 Speaker 1: and rural farmers. Farmers are having a harder time growing 235 00:12:26,800 --> 00:12:29,960 Speaker 1: crops and feel threatened by water rationing. They're frustrated by 236 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:32,880 Speaker 1: the thought that the Democrats running cities will always prioritize 237 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:36,880 Speaker 1: pumping extra water into population dense areas. Meanwhile, people in 238 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:38,960 Speaker 1: cities are concerned they will be forced to cut back 239 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:41,800 Speaker 1: on personal water use, as almond farmers suck up tons 240 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:45,200 Speaker 1: of water to feed their droops. Just building more dams 241 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:47,840 Speaker 1: and water catchment systems or aquifers may seem like a 242 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:50,959 Speaker 1: solution and have done property. Some of those things might help, 243 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 1: but they can't make up for a lack of rainfall 244 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:56,800 Speaker 1: and snow melt. Relying on river water has its own problems. 245 00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:59,520 Speaker 1: Pulling too much from fresh water that flows through rivers 246 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:01,880 Speaker 1: allows for extra salt water to intrude from the bay 247 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 1: and ocean salinity in the water negatively impacts local ecosystems 248 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:08,360 Speaker 1: and dirties what is supposed to be a freshwater source. 249 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:12,720 Speaker 1: Drought is simultaneously pushing migratory fish species like chinook salmon 250 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:16,319 Speaker 1: and steelhead trout closer to the brink of extinction. Large 251 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:18,840 Speaker 1: numbers of fish are dying off because the rivers they 252 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:21,839 Speaker 1: rely on as spawning habitats are too warm or too low. 253 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 1: Anxiety around water, droughts, and crops as among the issues 254 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:28,839 Speaker 1: driving some people to vote yes on the recall. A 255 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:31,800 Speaker 1: poll conducted last July by the Public Policy Institute of 256 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:34,960 Speaker 1: California found that residents sited drought and water supply as 257 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:38,760 Speaker 1: their top environmental concern, with about twenty calling it their 258 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:41,800 Speaker 1: chief concern, which makes it pull well above the related 259 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 1: problems of wildfires, air pollution, and climate change. Republican politicians 260 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:49,360 Speaker 1: have been using anxiety around drought to drum up support 261 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:52,640 Speaker 1: for the recall by blaming the current situation on Newsom. 262 00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:56,160 Speaker 1: The original recall petition against Newsom from early warned that 263 00:13:56,240 --> 00:13:59,320 Speaker 1: the governor quote seeks to impose additional burdens on our state, 264 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:03,839 Speaker 1: including rationing our water use. Last April, Governor Newsom did 265 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:08,240 Speaker 1: declare a drought emergency into northwest California counties. The order 266 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:11,120 Speaker 1: allowed state officials to restrict the amount of water diverted 267 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 1: from the Russian River and authorized the relocation of fish 268 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:18,160 Speaker 1: stranded in drying puddles. The local county government asked residents 269 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:21,000 Speaker 1: to use no more than fifty gallons per day per person, 270 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:25,480 Speaker 1: but Newsom himself hasn't mandated water rationing for individual consumers, 271 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: though he has asked Californians to voluntarily cut consumption by 272 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:32,120 Speaker 1: fifteen percent and has suggested that statewide restrictions could be 273 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:34,840 Speaker 1: on the table if conditions worsened heading into the fall, 274 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:37,880 Speaker 1: Newsom in the Department of Water Resources as a whole 275 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:41,600 Speaker 1: do have ideas in mind for tackling this issue. Last year, 276 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 1: Newsom authorized an eleven billion dollar water infrastructure project building 277 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:48,680 Speaker 1: a single thirty mile tunnel under the Sacramento, San Joaque 278 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:52,040 Speaker 1: and River Delta. The project, which has been discussed for years, 279 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:54,400 Speaker 1: is being pushed forward in hopes that it will protect 280 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 1: the delta's existing wetland ecosystem and supply enough fresh, clean 281 00:14:57,880 --> 00:14:59,720 Speaker 1: water to be diverted south for the rest of the 282 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 1: state eight but the tunnel concept has faced opposition both 283 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:06,440 Speaker 1: locally and from conservation minded folks. Some residents in the 284 00:15:06,480 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: Delta regency it is just a water grab to meet 285 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:12,320 Speaker 1: the demands of southern California and the agriculture industry, while 286 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:15,400 Speaker 1: the needs of those up north are being ignored. Ecologically 287 00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:18,280 Speaker 1: focused critics say it could still increase salinity in the 288 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 1: Delta and result in notable harm for the ecosystem. Newsom 289 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:24,600 Speaker 1: has more recently discussed other action and legislation to help 290 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:29,360 Speaker 1: mitigate the continued drought, quoting the San Francisco Chronicle. In July, 291 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:32,040 Speaker 1: the governor signed a state budget that includes five point 292 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:34,880 Speaker 1: one billion dollars over four years for new water infrastructure 293 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: and drought preparation projects, including money to repair delivery canals, 294 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 1: help farmers irrigrate crops more efficiently, and start water recycling projects. Still, 295 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 1: Newsom's recent actions have done little to quell anger among 296 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:47,920 Speaker 1: many farmers who stay the state's failure to plan for 297 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:50,320 Speaker 1: another major drought just a few years after it exited 298 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:52,480 Speaker 1: the last one has put them on the brink of ruin. 299 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:56,360 Speaker 1: Ernest Buddy Mendez, a lifelong farmer in Fresno County and 300 00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 1: Republican county supervisor, said he was forced to let hundreds 301 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: of acres where he used to grow cotton and wheat 302 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:03,680 Speaker 1: dry up this year after his allotment of river water 303 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:06,960 Speaker 1: was slashed to zero. He's relying on groundwater pumped from 304 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:10,080 Speaker 1: wells to keep his grove of almond trees alive. Mendez 305 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:13,240 Speaker 1: said he hasn't decided whom to support as a replacement candidate, 306 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:15,760 Speaker 1: and the recall just that he will vote hell yeah 307 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,880 Speaker 1: to remove newsom. Let's face at Newsom. Damn is a 308 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 1: four letter word, Mendez said, we haven't done anything in 309 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 1: twenty years about building storage. California already does have one 310 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: of the most extensive damn systems in the country, with 311 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,040 Speaker 1: nearly fifteen hundred reservoirs. Building new on river dams would 312 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:35,760 Speaker 1: cost billions of dollars if such efforts even survive legal challenges, 313 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:38,000 Speaker 1: which are all but guaranteed. Amid the struggle to save 314 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:41,200 Speaker 1: endangered fish species, there are not many areas left that 315 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:43,480 Speaker 1: would make sense or be sustainable to build a new 316 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:47,280 Speaker 1: large reservoir. One other, more cost effective solution could be 317 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:50,760 Speaker 1: to store more water collected during wet years and underground aquifers. 318 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 1: One of the solutions to this problem is the same 319 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:55,640 Speaker 1: as the solution to a number of other climate related problems, 320 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:57,760 Speaker 1: which is that we simply have to cut the amount 321 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:00,800 Speaker 1: of resources we're consuming, whether that means using our energy 322 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:03,640 Speaker 1: use or cutting down on wasteful water use. You can 323 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:07,520 Speaker 1: only build so many dams. The trend of California farmers 324 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:11,200 Speaker 1: growing thirstier crops has made an existing problem much worse. Today, 325 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:13,719 Speaker 1: the state produces three times as many acres of almonds 326 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: as it did twenty five years ago. With California most 327 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 1: likely entering a third straight year of disappointing rainfall and 328 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:23,080 Speaker 1: snow melt, anxiety around drought and increased severity of water 329 00:17:23,119 --> 00:17:26,720 Speaker 1: restrictions won't get any better, and if the Lenina weather 330 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 1: pattern hits the West coast, as it's poised to, that 331 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:31,199 Speaker 1: would mean the western US will have a drier and 332 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:35,040 Speaker 1: hotter winter than average. Last August, water regulators made an 333 00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:37,919 Speaker 1: unprecedented move to begin cracking down on water use in 334 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:43,320 Speaker 1: the sprawling Sacramento River in San Joaquin River watersheds, ordering farmers, 335 00:17:43,359 --> 00:17:46,719 Speaker 1: water districts, and other landowners, including the City of San Francisco, 336 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,000 Speaker 1: to stop drawing water from the basins of the river 337 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 1: or face penalties of up to ten thousand dollars a day. 338 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:54,720 Speaker 1: The city has enough water in its reservoirs to meet 339 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 1: demand for at least a couple of years, and stored 340 00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:00,520 Speaker 1: water is not affected by the state restrictions. Water agencies 341 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 1: also can seek an exemption from curtailments of human health 342 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:06,800 Speaker 1: or safety or compromised. This does hit rural areas and 343 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:10,280 Speaker 1: agriculture the hardest because most cities have alternative supplies and 344 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:13,960 Speaker 1: stored water to tap into. Looking to attract voters, Larry 345 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 1: Elder and other Republican challengers to NEWSOM have made it 346 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:19,239 Speaker 1: a recurring point to say that farmers should not have 347 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:21,920 Speaker 1: to endure such cuts, but they don't really give any 348 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 1: perspective solutions to prevent rationing. When water levels at reservoirs, lakes, 349 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:29,159 Speaker 1: and wells are all plummeting. Larry Elder said drought is 350 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:31,960 Speaker 1: not inevitable and said he supports building more reservoirs and 351 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:34,800 Speaker 1: dams to store runoff, but he has also voice support 352 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:40,160 Speaker 1: for permitting to salinization projects. The salinization devastates ocean life, 353 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:44,080 Speaker 1: costs much more than other alternatives, and uses tons of energy. Also, 354 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:47,000 Speaker 1: soon it will be made obsolete by increasing focus on 355 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 1: water recycling, explaining to salonization quickly ocean water is collected 356 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:53,840 Speaker 1: and run through pipes to remove the largest solids, and 357 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:56,920 Speaker 1: then pump through reverse osmosis filters to remove salt, while 358 00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:59,359 Speaker 1: fish and other creatures die upon being sucked in or 359 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 1: just from the four of the water flow. In a 360 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:04,880 Speaker 1: report studying it is salinization plant in the early two thousands, 361 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 1: it was found that on average over a five year period, 362 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:10,600 Speaker 1: nineteen point four billion larva were caught up at intakes 363 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:13,159 Speaker 1: and about two point seven million fish, along with marine 364 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:16,320 Speaker 1: mammals and sea turtles, were killed by intake equipment. For 365 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 1: every gallon of drinking water, desalinization leaves another gallon of 366 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 1: salty brine behind. The plants then just mix that with 367 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,840 Speaker 1: two parts ocean water before pumping it back into the ocean. 368 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:29,520 Speaker 1: These measures can negatively impact the environment for this generation 369 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:32,600 Speaker 1: and generations to come. This type of resource extract of 370 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,040 Speaker 1: thinking reflects how we got into the problem in the 371 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:38,479 Speaker 1: first place. Battling over water allotments will only get us 372 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:42,000 Speaker 1: so far when dealing with lackluster rainfall. What can help 373 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:45,000 Speaker 1: is permaculture programs to help farmers learn ways to irrigate 374 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,720 Speaker 1: more effectively and cultivate healthier soils that retain water. Moving 375 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 1: away from water heavy crops like almonds and towards more 376 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:54,159 Speaker 1: sustainable and moisture efficient crops must also be done if 377 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:57,119 Speaker 1: we want to stave off the worst effects. Putting Larry 378 00:19:57,160 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 1: Elder in office won't make it rain, but it will 379 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:01,960 Speaker 1: put the state least another year further behind on taking 380 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:05,840 Speaker 1: the kind of action necessary to ensure California remains habitable. 381 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:12,320 Speaker 1: It could Happen here as a production of cool Zone Media. 382 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website 383 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:17,359 Speaker 1: cool zone media dot com, or check us out on 384 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 385 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,800 Speaker 1: listen to podcasts. You can find sources for It could 386 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 1: Happen Here, updated monthly at cool zone Media dot com 387 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: slash sources. Thanks for listening.