Jerry Brown can thank dad for California water crisis

Mary Bruno

Mary Bruno Jul 2, 2025

Feb 6, 2018

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          <article>
            <header>
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                <h1>Jerry Brown can thank dad for California water crisis</h1>
                <h2><p>The late California Gov. Pat Brown was the zealot behind "massive mid-century water projects in the Golden State," says the Washington Post. His son is now paying for it.

Pat Brown's $1.8 billion California Water Project, brought enormous volumes from wet northern to parched southern</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/mary-bruno-crosscut-com/">Mary Bruno</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>The late California Gov. Pat Brown was the zealot behind "massive mid-century water projects in the Golden State," <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/04/02/gov-jerry-brown-battling-california-water-crisis-created-by-his-father-gov-pat-brown/?tid=hp_mm&hpid=z3&ref=dev.cascadepbs.org">says the Washington Post</a>. His son is now paying for it.</p><p>Pat Brown's $1.8 billion California Water Project, brought enormous volumes from wet northern to parched southern California. "I wanted this to be a monument to <em>me," </em>said Pat Brown back then<em>. </em>Fast forward 50 years: California governor and enviro, Jerry Brown was forced to imposed mandatory statewide restrictions on water use in the face of the state's unprecedented drought and water shortage. “It’s a different world,” Jerry Brown told the Post. “We have to act differently.</p>
          </article>

The late California Gov. Pat Brown was the zealot behind "massive mid-century water projects in the Golden State," says the Washington Post. His son is now paying for it.

Pat Brown's $1.8 billion California Water Project, brought enormous volumes from wet northern to parched southern California. "I wanted this to be a monument to me," said Pat Brown back then. Fast forward 50 years: California governor and enviro, Jerry Brown was forced to imposed mandatory statewide restrictions on water use in the face of the state's unprecedented drought and water shortage. “It’s a different world,” Jerry Brown told the Post. “We have to act differently.

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By Mary Bruno

Mary was Crosscut's Editor-in-Chief and Interim Publisher. In more than 25 years as a journalist, she has worked as a writer, editor and editorial director for a variety of print and web publications,