Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a drought emergency in Mendocino County. Standing in the dry bottom of Lake Mendocino, a spot that normally should be 40 feet underwater, the Governor called the current conditions historic. The emergency executive order issued for both Mendocino and Sonoma counties allows the state to prepare for the expected effects of the water shortage more quickly and to take swifter action in restricting and managing usage. State regulators have issued letters to roughly 700 vineyards, residential suppliers, farmers and others with water rights to the Russian River that they may have their water curtailed.