Arizona and California fail to draft drought contingency plan

The federal government has asked the governors of seven Western states that draw water from the Colorado River to finally draft a drought contingency plan. This follows an earlier order to do so, but California and Arizona have been unable to complete the task.

Californians see various culprits in state’s affordable housing shortage

While many Californians think that their state could solve the affordable housing crisis by just ramping up construction, others blame a lack of rent control, not enough funding for affordable homes and too strict environmental controls.

New California governor dedicates attention to safe water

California’s rural communities, which often rely on wells and increasingly must contend with contaminated water, are now at the forefront of the incoming governor’s budget.

California’s Central Valley outpaces coastal areas on some economic measures

Job growth and population gains in California’s mostly rural Central Valley surpassed the same measures in the state’s more populous Bay Area and Southern region, which some analysts say could be encouraging trends for the coming year.

Federal order for U.S. Southwest to plan for expected drought in 2020

The Colorado River, which serves seven states in the American Southwest, will likely have a shortage of water by 2020 and the federal government has ordered the states to plan for drought conditions.