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Now rolling into its fourth year like a lazy tumbleweed, California’s drought has reached such terrifying proportions that federal disaster monitors now consider 95 percent — fully 55 of the state’s 58 counties — in a state of emergency. And if a band of restless local regulators get their way, it’ll be only a matter of time until the entire state suffers this bone-dry fate.
Before you tune out, understand this isn’t simply a California problem — it’s a national one.
The state produces roughly half of all the nuts, fruits and vegetables consumed by the rest of the country. According to the number crunchers, these are the farms from where America grows 99 percent of its walnuts, 97 percent of its plums, 95 percent of its garlic, 89 percent of its cauliflower, 71 percent of its spinach and nearly 90 percent of leaf lettuce.