Recall Threat Could Stop California from Declaring a Drought Despite the dry conditions, Gavin Newsom has not yet declared an official drought emergency. Many believe that the recall threat against the governor is preventing the declaration. Sophia Bollag and Dale Kasler, The Sacramento Bee | April 16, 2021 | Analysis (TNS) — Gov. Gavin Newsom stood on a boat ramp at Lake Oroville on Tuesday — a boat ramp that couldn't reach the water because the reservoir was nearly 60 percent empty — and acknowledged what many Californians already know. "We're in the second year of these drought conditions," he said. But Newsom, who was in Oroville to sign a bill appropriating $536 million in wildfire-prevention funds, said he isn't ready to declare an official drought emergency, as his predecessor did six years ago. Instead, he promised he can manage the situation without resorting to an emergency declaration, which could help his administration clamp down on water use. "We are on top of this; we are mindful of the urgency," he said.