Chinatown By Reisner Summary

California, the state everyone believes to be a lush beautiful state. However, what people believe to be a golden state is in fact an illusion. In “Chinatown,” Reisner disillusions the reader about the underlying problem California has with water. California is, in fact, a semi desert, and the lush greenery that is commonly seen on postcards and TV shows are only achieved by transporting water from hundreds of miles away. Reisner stated that California is the “only state with a truly seasonal rainfall pattern” because of the Pacific High. This “meteorological phenomena” shove rain to the north and slips down to Mexico, which is then shifted back to the coast. He also clarified that behind the “emerald-and-white summer splendor,” lies “rain-starved hills.” He stated that when the first settlers arrived in San Francisco, there were no trees at all and

It allowed farmers to quickly pump out hundreds of gallons of water underground. This practice quickly progressed into the Great Drought, which then yielded the Central Valley Project. Large corporations, however, took advantage of the CVP illegally because of owning so much land, which allowed them to take more water while small farmers did not own enough land and they only gained a small amount of water. Farmers did everything they can to get water, which progressed, into lobbying and breaking the law. L.A. was also the “one major city” that is “logically tied into the project.” However, L.A. did not even need the water which ties in to Reisner’s statement about transporting water to unneeded places. More and more politicians began to commit illegal crimes for water usage and eventually, the Edmonston pumps were created. These pumps, aqueducts, and irrigation used throughout the chapter further illustrates the fabrication of California’s lush greenery and the amount of water we are using to preserve this distorted