Immigration and the drought: How many newcomers can California tolerate? - Los Angeles Times
Advertisement

Readers React: Immigration and the drought: How many newcomers can California tolerate?

Water level markers stand on what used to be the bottom of Hensley Lake on April 23 in Raymond, Calif.

Water level markers stand on what used to be the bottom of Hensley Lake on April 23 in Raymond, Calif.

(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
Share via

To the editor: Apparently Stanford academic Victor Davis Hanson and his fellow travelers at Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) have stumbled onto the root cause of our drought: foreign-born immigrants. How foolish of the rest of us to think it was a lack of rain and snow. (“Group says California immigration policies contributed to drought,” May 24)

If indeed foreign-born immigrants are the cause, I’d like to start the ball rolling to get these water-using moochers out of our state, starting with a few of the possibly most brazen.

First, Elon Musk: Finish packing that U-Haul, Sparky, you’re out of here. Next, Gustavo Dudamel: Hey, Gus, is that a real baton or a cleverly disguised divining rod? And how about Ozzy Osbourne? Sorry Oz, even your wife Sharon can’t get you out of this one.

Advertisement

Wait a minute. What’s that? Hanson and CAPS don’t mean these immigrants but those immigrants? As if we didn’t know.

Robert Hight, Visalia

..

To the editor: “Blaming the drought on immigration laws,” reads the print headline. So, taking that literally, the country’s immigration laws caused the drought?

Further reading reveals that CAPS’ point is that the “state’s natural resources cannot sustain high levels of population growth.” It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that adding 3 million to 4 million people per decade, with each person needing about 140 gallons of water per day, to the 39 million residents already here worsens the drought.

Advertisement

The inescapable conclusion, as stated, is that the state’s natural resources cannot sustain high levels of population growth. The equation is simple: More people equals less water per person.

David Strauss, Arcadia

..

To the editor: UCLA astrophysics professor and CAPS board member Ben Zuckerman blames immigrants to this state for worsening the drought. Zuckerman is from New York.

Advertisement

Why doesn’t he practice what he preaches and go back to where he came from?

Arian Collins, San Diego

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

Advertisement