No doubt everyone in California, and the other West Coast states suffering this drought, will feel the lack of water sooner rather than later. But towns like Mendota (pop.: approx. 10,000), will bear the brunt of it. One of the poorest towns in the poorest region in California, Mendota, Cantaloupe Center of the World, has a poverty rate of over 40 percent. It is also one of a handful of towns in Fresno County almost completely dependent on farming for its lifeblood.
Sandoval, the longtime farmworker, wonders why all manner of manufacturers, not so dependent upon water, have never given Mendota a shot. “We buy so many products from China or Japan,” he said. “Why can’t companies make an investment here? What’s wrong with Mendota?”
http://www.salon.com/2014/02/13/californias_farm_towns_are_dying_of_thirst_and_losing_jobs_partner/