Water More or Less - Tapa blanda

"How great to see such a holistic, 360 degree view of such an essential thing."- Rachel Maddow. Droughts, floods and water quality issues cast harsh light on how we use water in our lives, our agriculture and our environment. California's water policy and use are changing in dramatic ways. Water: More or Less provides intriguing insight as to how we got to this point, and proposes options for solutions and answers. Presented as an anthology in three dimensions – art, history, and story, it captures moments of change both visually and verbally. Artist and essayist Stephanie Taylor captures images of people and places in paintings and words, portraying a slice of the daily lives of fishermen, farmers, biologists and others. Journalist Rita Schmidt Sudman, long-time observer of the California water scene who also led the Water Education Foundation, follows the history of geographic water conflict and provides context for the past while suggesting options for the future. Twenty top water policy leaders add their diverse voices with personal essays written just for this book, and tell why they care so passionately about water. Interview with Lester Snow, Water Foundation Introduction by Kevin Starr, State Librarian Emeritus and author of the Americans and the California Dream series Personal essays written just for this book by: Tom Birmingham, Westlands Water District Jennifer Bowles, Water Education Foundation Celeste Cantu, Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority Michael Cohen, Senior Associate, Pacific Institute Kim Delfino, Defenders of Wildlife Laurel Firestone, Community Water Center David Guy, Northern California Water Association Thomas Harter, Groundwater Hydrology, University of California, Davis Carl Hauge, formerly with California Department of Water Resources Campbell Ingram, Delta Conservancy Kevin Kelley, Imperial Irrigation District Jeffrey Kightlinger, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Sunne Wright McPeak, Delta Vision Foundation Dave Orth, California Water Commission Tim Quinn, Association of California Water Agencies Tim Sloane, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations Frances Spivy-Weber, State Water Resources Control Board Maureen Stapleton, San Diego County Water Authority

Rita Schmidt Sudman Rita Schmidt Sudman is a long-time observer of the California water scene. She served as executive director of the respected Water Education Foundation for 34 years, and now is its senior advisor. A former radio and television reporter and producer, she has a master’s degree in telecommunications. At the Foundation, she and her team won three regional Emmys, and several Emmy nominations for public television documentaries. She has served on numerous boards including the University of California President’s Advisory Commission on Water and the national board of Water For People, an international program for water in developing countries. She has received awards from major agricultural, environmental and urban water groups including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Groundwater Resources Association and the Service to the Water Industry Award from the American Water Works Association. She was named a “Superhero” by the California State Fair for her water education work. Stephanie Taylor Artist and essayist Stephanie Taylor captures images of people and places in paintings and words. Driven by curiosity, location and audience, Taylor responds with whatever materials are most suited to interpret the meaning of a place, from paint, steel, and cement to words. With a degree from UCLA in history, she’s inspired by site and how people relate to each other. Taylor has been a working artist since 1977. She has created countless exterior murals and sculpture projects in California, and site-specific installations, sculpture and paintings for major institutions and collections all over the United States, and in Paris and Kyoto. In addition to commissions, she exhibited in fine art galleries for many years. In 2006, Taylor received a masters in sculpture, along with a renewed interest in writing. Since 2011, she’s been a freelance contributor to the Sacramento Bee Sunday Opinion; “California Sketches” combining her paintings and essays. She is a licensed artist in Disney’s fine art program. Articles about her work have been published in the Sacramento Business Journal, Los Angeles Times and international design magazines. She has been interviewed about her work and art issues on NPR’s Capitol Public Radio.