> If we stopped growing Almonds in the CA desert there would be more water for domestic uses. Are you seriously advocating that CA, a histrionically Agricultur

> If we stopped growing Almonds in the CA desert there would be more water for domestic uses. Are you seriously advocating that CA, a histrionically Agriculture based State, remove one of its nearly exclusive cash crops to curtail water depletion? Not only is that absurd, but it negates just how quickly that leads to food insecurity. I agree we should divert tax liability for farmers to improve their irrigation systems to reduce consumption and mandate water table depletion instead of letting FAANG and other multinational corps not pay taxes, but this argument doesn't take into account that all the Valley used to be Ag land long before it was ever used planned to be used for every tech corp that wanted to cash-in on a useless app no one cares about. Ag isn't really the problem, the massive influx of people that came here from somewhere else claiming Agriculture is not a critical part of OUR unique Californian Culture, Cuisine and Identity is the issue, and they often do so in order they can have massive pools and manicured lawns and support other useless and wasteful habits. They're the same imbeciles that claim they can come here and remove access to beaches because they bought beach front property and feel they are entitled to everything that surrounds it, which is entirely against Californian Law (as well as beach/surf culture) as beaches are a public good. > Agricultural water rates are ridiculously cheap for the value of the water - hence absolutely brain dead schemes such as growing almonds in an otherwise desert! The central valley remains and has one of the most fertile soils in all of N. America for centuries for a reason, so while almond cultivation in the World certainly suffers from centralization, inefficient pollination irrigation systems, they are correctable with the right incentives and it is most definitely 'worth it' if you understand just how much California feeds not just the US but the rest of the World from that part alone. And honestly, if you have ever been to massive golf courses and school and University campuses with manicured lawns (Pepperdine in Malibu is insane!) you'll see that excessive water is far more prevalent in areas that don't create any value besides aesthetic landscaping and leisure for the few because they have the fiat to buy what ever it takes to have acres of manicured lawns during fires and droughts and since COVID no one is even on campus to 'appreciate' it all. You'd have to be an immense fool to think that not addressing those issues is critical before you remove established cash crops that actually feed people in order to curtail water depletion. Desalination at least solves some issues we could and should address in regards to refilling aquifers and water tables and protect our Cultural heritage, which a big part of it happens to be Agriculture.