By Toni G. Atkins | Assembly Speaker

California is now in its fourth year of drought. Some 1,760 water wells have run dry. The Sierra Nevada snowpack is historically low. At the state level, we’ve instituted mechanisms to respond to this serious issue.

Last month, the governor announced his executive order to save water, increase conservation enforcement, streamline government response and invest in new technologies to respond to California’s continuing drought. The order includes:

• A 25 percent reduction in water usage.
• Replacing 50 million square feet of lawns and turf with drought-tolerant landscaping.
• Creating a temporary consumer rebate program that replaces old appliances with more water- and energy-efficient models.
• Having local water agencies adjust rates to implement conservation pricing
• Increasing enforcement so that water isn’t being used illegally.

At the Legislature, we passed emergency drought-relief bills, which included:

• More than $1 billion for drought relief and infrastructure projects to make the state’s water infrastructure more resilient.
• Acceleration of $272 million from Proposition 1 Water Bond funding for safe drinking water and water recycling from the governor’s January budget proposal.
• Acceleration of drought-related expenditures from the governor’s January budget proposal augmented by $27.2 million in targeted additional expenditures ($128 million total), including efforts to implement the Water Action Plan and provide direct assistance to workers and communities impacted by drought.

Here in San Diego, we are fortunate. Our water is flowing still. But, there are cities and towns like East Porterville where water is being driven in for people to drink, to shower and to cook.

We need to change the way we think about water and conservation. Saving water isn’t a temporary solution to California’s drought; water conservation needs to be a permanent, conscious effort by all of us.

Here’s some easy ways to conserve:

• Turn off the water while lathering in the shower or brushing your teeth.
• Defrost food in your refrigerator instead of under running water.
• Opt for water- and energy-efficient appliances.
• Monitor your sprinkler system to make sure you’re watering only the grass and not the surrounding areas.
• Soak dishes instead of letting the water run to remove food debris.
• Use smaller pots to cook. It will encourage you to use less water and help retain more nutrients.
• Take advantage of rebates and replace older toilets with water-efficient models. Also, flush only when necessary.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean outside areas.
• Check your monthly water bill for unusual changes. Sudden spikes in usage can be the sign of a water leak.

Around the District and the Capitol

I adjourned an Assembly session last month in the memory of Taylor Alesana and Sage David, two local LGBT teens who took their own lives. You can find a list of youth counselling and suicide prevention hotlines in the May edition of my e-Newsletter … Congratulations to the New Children’s Museum, which has been named by USA Today as one of our city’s 10 best museums and by Liveability.com as one of the eight most entertaining children’s museums in the U.S. … the Assembly honored Vera Falus-Lorell of Mission Hills as the 78th Assembly District’s Holocaust Survivor of the Year. The native of Budapest has lived in San Diego for 25 years.

—Toni G. Atkins is the Speaker of the California State Assembly. For more information, please visit her website, asmdc.org/speaker/ where you can sign up for her e-newsletter or get the latest news on legislation and other activities. You also may follow her on Twitter, @toniatkins.