The Los Angeles Times reports that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is officially declaring the state to be in a drought, a largely ceremonial proclamation to provide notice that water supplies are tight because of court-ordered water cuts and a lack of rainfall. Unlike a financial recession, a drought doesn’t formally connote any specific number of dry years back-to-back.
The Times says:
But the governor is stopping short of declaring a water emergency in California. Administration officials say today’s move is a first step, intended to put Californians on notice that rationing could be coming if the situation does not improve.