Agenda Setting and the California Drought

• In Event: Adressing Implications of Drought

Abstract

Our research applies agenda setting theory to the case of the recent California drought. In particular, we consider how the theories of agenda setting and punctuated equilibrium show that the California drought serves a triggering or focal event (albeit a “slow moving” one) that propelled the issue of climate change to the top of the agenda, as evidenced via public opinion and policy outputs by California policymakers. While droughts in California have occurred before, the recent drought (from late 2001 to 2015) has been exceptional mostly due to its compounded effect, with each subsequent “wet period” (between December and March) becoming drier and drier. In 2011– 12 minor effects of the drought were evident, but with even drier conditions the following year (2012– 13 being the driest year in the 100- year record), the effects grew more severe and expanded geographically. The media attention toward the drought has been great, especially since 2014, and pol¬icy proposals and government regulations were adopted to help mitigate the effects of the drought, including low- flow regulations and mandatory water use reductions, the latter via Executive Order signed by Jerry Brown on April 1, 2015. Brown’s executive order also included guidelines that will help save water, increase enforcement against wasteful water use, invest in new technologies that will help California deal with water management, and streamline the state’s response to droughts. Overall, we use this case study to develop further the concept of focusing episodes as slow moving crises, which we introduced in our study of energy crises, The Politics of Energy Crises (2017).

Authors

• Juliet Carlisle, University of Utah

• Kristy E.H. Michaud, California State University, Northridge

• Eric R. A. N. Smith, University of California, Santa Barbara