California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Mendocino and Sonoma counties on April 21 because of drought conditions. The declaration marks the second year of drought conditions in the Golden State. Newsom’s emergency order directs state agencies to inform Californians about the conditions and encourage water conservation. Newsom used Lake Mendocino as a backdrop for the announcement to illustrate the severity of the drought. “Where I’m standing I should be 40 ft under the water of Lake Mendocino. Instead—I’m on dry, cracked earth,” the governor, a Democrat, said on Twitter. “Today I declared a drought conditions state of emergency in Mendocino & Sonoma to immediately increase drought resilience.” Newsom’s order states that much of the Western U.S. is dealing with drought conditions and that there is “drought or near-drought throughout many portions of the state.” He told the press the drought order could and likely would be …