The Danger of a Single Story: Rethinking Land Subsidence in California

Why blaming farmers for sinking land won’t fix California’s water crisis

A recent Newsweek article traced sinking property values in the Central Valley to one cause: groundwater pumping. The headline was clear. The numbers were dramatic. The takeaway was simple. And like most simple stories, it left out the truth that matters most.

When people settle into one version of a story, they stop asking better questions. But in places like ours, those questions are still alive—and still waiting for answers.

What the Public Is Hearing About Land Subsidence in California

Here on the ground, we’ve seen the damage. Pavement cracking. Wells failing. Families forced to leave—farms facing impossible decisions.

But what else is true?

Surface water deliveries have been reduced or eliminated across the Valley, even during wet years. Recharge infrastructure sits behind permitting delays. Groundwater became the only survival option for many regions. The tap was shut off. The bucket got blamed.

What Else Is True About Land Subsidence in California

The UC Riverside study behind the article added valuable data. But it didn’t tell the full story:

• It didn’t explain why recharge was delayed.

• It didn’t reflect the layers of compliance playing out in real time.

• And it didn’t ask how communities are supposed to navigate SGMA while policies shift faster than support is built.

Farmers are being asked to adapt, and they are. But adaptation takes clarity, time, and trust—three things that policy alone can’t deliver.

There's So Much More To the Story

• Groundwater use became a last resort, not a first choice.

• Domestic well users and growers are responding to the same system, not opposing each other.

• Housing continues to be approved in critically overdrafted basins.

• Many GSAs are operating on minimal staff and budget while trying to meet the state’s expectations.

• Transitional pumping limits are going into effect before outreach and mitigation are fully in place.

What We Should Be Asking

• Why were floodwaters sent to the ocean while recharge basins sat idle?

• Why are enforcement deadlines moving faster than the infrastructure needed to meet them?

• Why are other groundwater users left out of the public narrative?

• Who benefits from telling only one side of the story?

• How do we build trust when communities are still grieving unspoken losses?

• What kind of future are we shaping, and who is shaping it?

  
  

What It Will Take

California needs more than compliance. It needs coordination, conversation, and common sense.It needs stories that reflect complexity, not just blame.It needs leadership that includes those living at ground zero.

Because the ground is sinking. But the narrative doesn’t have to.

See you at the table,

Julie