Judge in drought-hit California blocks water cut orders for some farmers

California regulators violated the rights of some farmers by demanding mandatory water cutbacks without giving them a prior hearing, a state judge ruled on Friday. California is in the fourth year of a catastrophic drought that has cost its farm sector billions, and prompted the state's first-ever mandatory cutbacks in urban water use. Sacramento Superior Court Shelleyanne Chang issued a temporary order restraining the state from punishing four Central Valley districts, which includes dozens of farmers, for disregarding curtailment orders imposed to help conserve water, court records show.

Continue reading...