To me it’s a matter of “what,” not “where.” California could produce just as much food using less water if we grew different kinds of food than we do now. Why should California be expected to grow and export ridiculous quantities of almonds and alfalfa when we could use that same land to grow water-efficient crops like beans, okra, etc.? If we make that switch nobody’s going to starve, they’ll just have to pay a bit more for certain products like almond milk and ground beef.
Edit to add: the idea that we should even consider building energy-intensive desalinization plants to increase our water supply at the same time that we’re exporting alfalfa to Saudi Arabia is a little crazy. If it makes sense to grow alfalfa with desalinized ocean water then let Saudi Arabia do it themselves, and we can all avoid the extra hassle and environmental cost of shipping.
