Candidates agree water matters: The next governor needs to deliver

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OPINION — This spring, the candidates for governor gathered in Fresno for the California Gubernatorial Candidate Forum, “Affordability and Rural California,” and spent time talking about water.

They agreed California faces a real challenge: securing enough affordable, reliable water for the years ahead. Then they reached for the familiar slogans on every California politician’s shelf: cut the regulations and build more storage.

The task now for the two remaining candidates is to prioritize reaching the state’s newly established target of 9 million acre-feet of new water supply for the successful candidate to implement this plan.

Water is one of California’s most valuable resources, and its necessity and complexity demand the attention of California’s policymakers.

Ahead of the forum, moderator and Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes said that many candidates for governor don’t fully grasp how water actually moves, how storage functions, or how surface and groundwater differ.

The details matter, because water mistakes are hard to undo. Parts of the San Joaquin Valley, the heart of the state’s farm economy, have sunk by as much as 28 feet as growers leaned on groundwater when surface supplies fell short, permanently shrinking precious underground storage.

Agreement that water matters is the easy part. Understanding its role in our economy and every Californian’s life, and delivering on that urgency as water grows scarce, is the hard part.

Here’s the good news: California already has a mechanism to bolster the existing California Water Plan. It’s called SB 72 and it established a statewide target of an additional 9 million acre-feet of new supply beginning in 2040.

SB 72, authored by Sen. Anna Caballero, passed the Legislature unanimously; the governor signed it last October, and it’s currently being incorporated into the State Water Plan.

The next governor won’t need to invent a new target that takes years to grind through the Legislature. They’ll inherit one, and their job will be to make it work.

This is not only a rural or urban issue, but also a statewide issue impacting jobs, the environment, and the economy across California. Research conducted by UC Davis and UC Merced shows billions in economic risk if SB 72 is not implemented as intended.

California could lose as much as 9 million acre-feet of water a year, around a fifth of what our cities and farms use today. Left unmanaged, that gap could cost the state up to $14.5 billion a year and 67,000 jobs.

For some, the loss is already firsthand: over 6,000 household wells have run dry, leaving families without water at the tap. Moreover, water shortages increase the price of food, power, housing, and nearly everything that already makes life in California expensive.

That is the part too often missing from the conversation. Water is affordability. Water is part of our ecosystem. Every candidate who promises to lower the cost of living is inherently making a promise about water.

As this race takes shape, Californians deserve more than acknowledgement of the problem. They deserve specifics on how candidates plan to prioritize water, with commitments that demonstrate a thoughtful, intentional plan for our water future.

Some critical questions for Becerra and Hilton to consider:

How will you keep water reliable to support affordable lifestyles? Water, food, power, and housing costs all move together.

California grows nearly half of the nation’s vegetables and over three-quarters of its fruits and nuts, so when water runs short here, the effects fall hardest on Californians whose businesses and jobs depend on a stable supply.

Will you commit to funding SB 72’s implementation? A signed bill still has to be paid for, and voters deserve to know whether the next governor will see it through.

Who will be at the table? California’s water future depends on the water agencies, farmers, businesses, workers, and communities who live this issue every day. How will the next governor integrate that expertise from the start?

California has spent years debating how much water the state needs. SB 72 provides that answer and passed unanimously because lawmakers from both parties agreed the state had to modernize its water supply strategy turning that agreement into a workable plan is exactly what the next governor will be required to complete.

Between now and November, the candidates for governor must tell the voters how they plan to deliver reliable water for this and future generations.

SB 72 set the goal; the next governor must make the state’s water system a top priority to turn that goal into greater affordability, business certainty, and job security.

Danielle Blacet-Hyden is the executive director of the California Municipal Utilities Association. Graham Knaus is CEO of the California State Association of Counties.