Gov. Gavin Newsom today declared a drought emergency for the entire state of California, as conservation efforts continue to fall far short of state targets. Newsom also authorized California’s water regulators to ban wasteful water use, such as spraying down public sidewalks, and directed his Office of Emergency Services to fund drinking water as needed. But he stopped short of issuing any statewide conservation mandates.

Related articles: 

• State of California Executive Department: Proclamation Of A State Of Emergency
• ABC7 – Los Angeles: All counties in CA now under drought emergency declaration, but no water saving mandates from Newsom
• CNN: California is under a statewide drought emergency as it sees its driest year in nearly a century
• Spectrum News 1: Newsom extends drought emergency declaration statewide, including SoCal
• Los Angeles Times: Editorial - What you can do — and what you can’t — to deal with California’s driest year