Farmers exempt from California's mandatory water restrictions

CAMARILLO, Calif. (KABC) -- California's parched lands spurred Gov. Jerry Brown to mandate a 25 percent reduction in water usage statewide.

Homes and businesses are expected to shoulder the cutbacks, but California farmers -- the biggest water users in the state -- will not face those water restrictions.

"That doesn't seem fair, does it?" one woman asked, and it's a sentiment many people share.

But in Ventura County, which is blanketed with vast green swaths of farmland, agriculture is something local officials are quick to defend.

Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales says farmers shouldn't be hit with rising water rates or rationing because they produce food for the entire country.

He doesn't dispute that agriculture uses the majority of California's developed water. But according to the Public Policy Institute of California, agriculture only represents 2 percent of California's gross domestic product.

"On one hand, you want to say, 'Yeah if everybody needs to save, they need to save too.' On the other hand, you know, they're our farmers. They're the backbone of our economy. They bring us our food and they deserve a lot of respect for that," one woman said.

With food prices already on the uptick, Gonzales says new restrictions would hit the public even harder.

"As there's less water, there'll be less production and the cost of the food that is produced is going to be greater," Gonzales said.

Even though agriculture represents just a sliver of California's economy, Gonzales says, statewide, it still generates nearly $40 billion each year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.