Sean Bigley and Gary Croucher On July 8, Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded two earlier drought emergency declarations to cover 50 of the stateâs 58 counties. In May, he directed state agencies to consider easing requirements for reservoir releases to conserve water upstream, and to make water transfers easier. Both are needed. Notably, the governorâs emergency proclamation did not impose water conservation mandates. Instead, Gov. Newsom is leaving water conservation to each region â a smart and necessary approach that incentivizes regional investments in water supply. Emergency conservation orders address short-term water shortages, but donât move us toward the long-term goal of drought resilience. That requires strategic investments in local drought-resilient water supply projects, costs mostly borne at the local level.Â