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JEFFCHIU—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Richard Polich holds an umbrella as he crosses a street in the rain in San Francisco. ByScottSmith TheAssociatedPress FRESNO Residents of drought-plagued Califor- nia fell just short of the state's mandated water conservation target over the nine months that ended in February as they let lawns turn brown, flushed toilets less often and took other strict measures, offi- cials said Monday. Residents statewide used 23.9 percent less wa- ter over those nine months compared to the same months in 2013. The savings were shy of the 25 percent water cuts that Gov. Jerry Brown or- dered last year for users in cities and towns. Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, called it an "enormous effort" in saving water, despite the missed target. "Californians rose to the occasion, reducing ir- rigation, fixing leaks, tak- ing shorter showers and saving our precious wa- ter resources in all sorts of ways," she said. Californians saved just 12 percent in the month of February — less than half the target ordered by Brown. February was the final month of reporting under the governor's 25 percent savings mandate. Califor- nians will now be required to use at least 20 percent less water. The state is now in the fifth year of drought, even though an El Niño weather system delivered a near-av- erage year of rain and snow in some parts of the state. State officials say that might impact the outcome of a workshop planned later this month to con- sider the best approach for conservation. Key reservoirs in North- ern California are brim- ming after El Niño storms drenched the region. How- ever, Southern California saw relatively little precip- itation, leaving most of its reservoirs low. By April 1 — typically the end of California's rain and snow season — the state was left with a nearly average snowpack and few hopes of more significant storms. "We need people to keep saving," Marcus said. Drought-stricken Ca li fo rn ia m is se s conservation target WATER By Michael R. Blood and Don Thompson The Associated Press LOS ANGELES California and New York acted Mon- day to gradually push their statewide minimum wages to $15 an hour — the high- est in the nation — as Hill- ary Clinton and Bernie Sanders again seized on wage disparity and the plight of the working poor in their fight for the Dem- ocratic presidential nomi- nation. Clinton joined New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a raucous rally in Manhat- tan as he signed the law that will gradually boost that state's pay rate. The former first lady predicted the movement will "sweep our country." Sanders said in a state- ment that his campaign is about building on the steps in California and New York "so that everyone in this country can enjoy the dig- nity and basic economic security that comes from a living wage." The new laws in Cali- fornia and New York mark the most ambitious moves yet by legislatures to close the national divide be- tween rich and poor. Ex- perts say other states may follow, given Congress' re- luctance to act despite en- treaties from President Barack Obama. In a statement, Obama commended California and again urged Congress to raise the federal mini- mum wage. "It's time for Congress to step up and do what is right for every hard- working American and for our economy," he said. In Los Angeles, Gov. Jerry Brown was cheered by union workers — some chanting in Spanish — as he signed a bill into law that will lift the statewide min- imum wage to $15 an hour by 2022. The bill's effects could vary widely in the vast and diverse state, from sparsely populated mountain and desert areas to inner city Los Angeles and wealthy Silicon Valley. While it was a victory for those struggling on the margins of the economy and the politically powerful unions that pushed it, busi- ness groups warned that the higher wage could cost thousands of jobs as em- ployers are forced to provide steadily bigger paychecks. A $15 base wage will have "devastating impacts on small businesses in Califor- nia," Tom Scott, executive director of the state branch of the National Federation of Independent Business, said in a statement. "Ig- noring the voices and con- cerns of the vast majority of job creators in this state is deeply concerning and illus- trates why many feel Sacra- mento is broken." The bill was pushed through the Legislature by Democrats — who control both chambers — without a single Republican vote. A nonpartisan legislative analysis put the cost to Cal- ifornia taxpayers at $3.6 bil- lion a year in higher pay for government employees. Brown, a Democrat, never specifically addressed criticism of the bill but ar- gued the decision to set the nation-leading wage was about "economic justice." "Economically, minimum wages may not make sense," the governor said. "But mor- ally and socially and politi- cally they make every sense, because it binds the com- munity together and makes sure that parents can take care of their kids in a much more satisfactory way." The California bill will bump the state's $10 hourly minimum by 50 cents next year and to $11 in 2018. Hourly $1 raises will then come every January until 2022, unless the governor imposes a delay during an economic recession. Busi- nesses with 25 or fewer em- ployees have an extra year to comply. Wages will rise with in- flation each year thereafter. Brown negotiated the deal with unions to head off competing labor-backed ballot initiatives that would have imposed swifter in- creases. WORKERS California, New York enact US-high $15 minimum wage NICK UT — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS California Gov. Jerry Brown li s a signed bill creating highest statewide minimum wage at $15an hour by 2022 at the Ronald Reagan building in Los Angeles on Monday. The Associated Press DETROIT Worldwide or- ders for the new lower- priced Tesla electric car hit 276,000 over the weekend, surprising even the compa- ny's CEO, who says it may force Tesla to open another factory. CEO Elon Musk posted the number Sunday on his Twitter feed and said if the trend continues, Model 3 or- ders could hit 500,000 and would require another fac- tory in Europe to meet de- mand. Tesla also hopes to avoid the production delays it has had with other vehi- cles. The company said Monday that its deliveries were hampered in the first quarter by a parts short- age, due in part to it add- ing "far too much" new technology to the Model X in its first version. The company said it is address- ing the "root causes" of the shortages to ensure these mistakes are not repeated with the Model 3 launch, which is expected in late 2017. Tesla has a history of missing deadlines for its ve- hicles to hit the market, but Musk said last week that he feels "fairly confident" that the Model 3 will come out next year. Customers must put down $1,000 to order the cars, which start at $35,000 and have a range of 215 miles per charge. AUTOMOBILES Orders for lower-price Tesla reach 276K By Don Thompson The Associated Press SACRAMENTO Califor- nia's latest plan for a $64 billion high-speed railway lacks "beef" — the details that could spur additional investment in the project, state lawmakers said Mon- day. "We want to see a strat- egy, like how are we going to get from here to there," Sen. Jim Beall, D- San Jose, the Senate transportation committee chairman, told leaders of the High Speed Rail Authority. "I'd like to see more beef." The authority in Febru- ary released a new busi- ness plan that calls for con- structing the first 250-mile segment from rural Shafter to San Jose at a cost of nearly $21 billion. The first stretch would begin oper- ating in 2025, three years later and 50 miles shorter than the original planned route that would have first connected to the San Fer- nando Valley. "I think 'Where's the beef' is a good comment," said Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Da- vis, who praised the plan to build north first but said major questions remain. She is chairwoman of a transportation budget com- mittee that joined in Mon- day's joint Senate hearing. Assembly members were also critical during a sep- arate hearing a week ago. The senators echoed the state's independent legis- lative analyst, which last month said lawmakers should require more de- tailed planning on each segment's cost, scope and schedule. Authority Chairman Dan Richard and Chief Exec- utive Officer Jeff Morales promised to provide more information. But Richard said despite the uncertainty over the project's long-term funding, momentum is building because "We are now in construction, build- ing America's first high speed rail system." The project has about $3.2 billion in federal stim- ulus funds and nearly $10 billion in bond money ap- proved by California voters in 2008. Lawmakers ap- proved the first long-term funding source in the 2014- 15 budget, giving the proj- ect about $500 million a year from fees charged to polluters. Other ways of making money might include prof- iting from development and real estate growth around high speed rail stations or using the right of way for fiber optic cable, Richard said. "We have even started to scratch the surface yet," he said. BULLET TRAIN California lawmakers want be efi er d et ai ls o n hi gh s pe ed r ai l RICH PEDRONCELLI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Copies of the new proposed business plan for the California High-Speed Authority are seen at a information hearing on the bullet train, at the Capitol in Sacramento on Monday. | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2016 8 A