After California saw its driest year on record in nearly 100 years, the entire state is now under a drought emergency, officials said Tuesday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide drought emergency proclamation, expanding an existing one to add eight counties that were not previously included. “As the western U.S. faces a potential third year of drought, it’s critical that Californians across the state redouble our efforts to save water in every way possible,” the governor said in a statement.
The previous emergency proclamation was extended Tuesday to include Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco and Ventura counties, according to the statement from the governor’s office.