Definitely the farmers need help, but I do think their problems are more the fault of drought and uneven supply distribution than endangered species concerns.

California is the most cost effective producer of agriculture in the United States. It is the number one agricultural state in the country producing more that half of the nation's fruit nuts and vegetables. We are also the nation's leader of agricultural exports. And the number one dairy producing state in the nation. The amount of water being asked for is huge and the west end of the valley has unemployment rates soaring. Town are all but drying up. These are people that want to work and not be on public assistance. They just need the water to farm their land.
This is definitely a National issue.
here is another good article :
The farms that supply much of America's produce are quickly becoming extinct.
On Friday, as I drove back from my southern California office north on I-5, I witnessed it firsthand seeing for myself what many are now calling the Congress-created Dust Bowl.
Of course, global warming obsessed media, when they bother to report this dire situation, typically blame the problem on California's drought.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/06/21/hannity-again-disc...

Droughts have a way of creating water shortages, as do politicians diverting water from agricultural areas to more populated, voter filled, localities.

Maybe you need to read up on this more, Steph. State water distributions are only at 30% of their contractual requirement since the war for the delta smelt began. And federal water deliveries are at zero.
University researchers are warning that even with increases in groundwater use, income loss to the Central Valley could be as high as $2.2 billion with 80,000 jobs lost. When measured on a statewide basis, the income losses rise to $2.8 billion in 2009 with a job loss of 95,000. Most of the unemployment impacts are concentrated among low-wage workers who have the least options for enduring a prolonged water shortage.
Schwarzenegger warned unemployment in the San Joaquin Valley continues to "skyrocket." He pointed to state unemployment figures released last week indicating the state's overall unemployment rate in March was 11.2 percent, compared to 10.6 percent in February. For comparison, in March 2008, the unemployment rate was 6.4 percent. (weren't we in a drought last year too steph?)
In the Central Valley, however, counties are reporting official unemployment levels ranging from about 17 percent to more than 25 percent, with levels much higher in many small farming communities, like Mendota and Firebaugh.
Schwarzenegger told the crowd that the state's unacceptably high unemployment rate is not due solely to the worldwide recession. "It's self-inflicted wounds because we can't get our act together and create the water infrastructure that is needed for 38 million people rather than 18 million people."

Like taking water from the valley for LA. Well soon all of those people in La will realize when their food costs them an arm and a leg. So why don't they turn the pumps on for a year. Obama can issue an executive order to do so. then we will see if it is just drought or the silly new endangered species. If you are right, we can turn the pumps back off. But I am inclined to think that if the water was turned on, we would be in an entirely different situation next year, for the better.

Fresno county unemployment rate is over 15%

Hain, I've been here in California since 1998 - there have been warnings and water shortages the whole time. That the situation was becoming more serious in recent years has been well documented.

I've been here since I was born, minus about a year. I know that the problems arising now are from environmental regulation, yes partly due to drought, but the farms have all but dried up in the western san joaquin valley since the environmental act was passed and held up in court for the last 2-3 years. They can pump some water off of the delta to allow these farmers to survive in the short term while figuring out better water irrigation techniques. Like was said in my previous post, the current system doesn't take into account the population boom that california experienced.
I am assuming that you don't live in the central valley (correct me if I'm wrong) because if you did, you would see what a dire situation this is. You would have to have some sympathy for those that are simply trying to earn a living, whose problems could be greatly helped if they would just issue a stay on an environmental regulation and open those pumps. You would soon see that water could be a life saver for many

I've seen what a dire situation it is, but I don't live in the Central Valley.
But to blame environmental regulation for what people have seen coming for years is ridiculous - and is more likely an example of allowing a crisis to happen then using it for political advantage.

"They are hoping for long term solutions, like dams, and a peripheral canal to bring water from Northern California to the Valley, bypassing the Delta and its fish"

I'm sorry but these are the same (long term) solutions that contributed to the problem in the first place. Once they put a straw into Northern California's water supply they won't take that straw out and over time they'll take it for granted and sip to their hearts content and before you know it we're right back where we started. Looking for another place to build a dam divert water and sip that dry too.

No doubt the drought is the main factor hear and although job loss is something to be concerned and addressed. The drought is temporary which means the job loss is temporary which is something to take into account before they turn another thriving ecosystem into a dust bowl that will never recover. I'm all for temporary diversion to assist but any permanent fixtures like dams and aqueducts are dangerous for the big picture IMO.

*factor here not (factor hear)