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Tuesday, 03 March 2009 |
Los Angeles Times
Editor,
Recent rains and an increased snowpack do not discount the seriousness of the third year of drought that is confronting all Californians.
None are hit harder than farmworkers who rely on their jobs on Central Valley farms to support their families. Hundreds of thousands of acres will go unplanted this year and farmers have already been forced to reduce their workforce because of a reduced water supply. Farmworkers have lost their homes and, ironically, been forced to stand in food lines to provide for their families.
Farmers may see a tiny improvement in water deliveries if the rains continue but other obstacles remain. Court orders have mandated that less water flow southward from the Delta to protect endangered species. In today's economic turmoil, it is unfathomable that these species take precedence over individuals who are only trying to care for their families.
Mike Wade, Executive Director
California Farm Water Coalition
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