A lunch of pozole, chips and homemade salsa awaited a group of residents — including ranchers, farmers and owners of stores and restaurants — who gathered at folding tables in a community center to discuss a subject they are deeply concerned about: their declining groundwater. The meeting in late June offered a chance for people to share their fears not only with neighbors, but with three visiting state legislators and a high-ranking water official from Sacramento.
“The water is declining really quick,” Lewis said. “It’s the big pumpers.” He said he’s concerned water allocations will likely be calculated based on past usage, benefiting large growers while harming his small operation. “I'm just a little guy,” he said. “So I rely on the government and agencies to protect me. And right now, I'm not feeling it.” Pam Doiron, who owns a cattle ranch, said the lawsuit “has thrown us a staggering amount of overhead that is unsustainable.