I have been reading articles like this for more than 20 years. Really, it feels like click/rage-bait at this point. The answer is pretty simple: (1) Build desalination plants (Calif already has a few) and (2) switch to more efficient uses of water in agriculture (drip irrigation, that is already widely practiced in water stressed areas of the world). Sure it costs money, but California is insanely rich and can afford to make these changes. For the last 100 years, Calif has been farming on "easy mode". Ok, so now it gets a little bit harder.

    > California’s Central Valley, where one-quarter of the food produced in the United States is grown

I am so tired of this quote. It is 25% of total (economic) value, not by calories or volume or weight. This quote is very misleading.