California’s water chief steps up to fight historic drought
As a native of the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs where it hardly ever rains, Joaquin Esquivel has always known that water is precious. His uncle often took him to the Salton Sea, and he had family served by a well. He carries that respect for the resource as chair of California’s State Water Resources Control Board. … At the request of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who declared a drought last year, the board has adopted emergency regulations requiring residents to cut back water use, such as turning off fountains and not watering decorative grass at commercial sites.