The New Year is getting off to a phenomenal start with snow falling at Lake Tahoe. It seems long ago since we’ve had snow around the lake, but as California and Nevada continue to grapple with four years of drought and water shortages, the snow couldn’t be falling at a better time.

A snow survey this January by California Department of Water Resources found 54 inches of snow at Echo Summit. That’s 16 inches above average for this time of year. And it’s significantly more snow than we saw last April when the snowpack is usually at its greatest but surveyors found no accumulated snow on the ground.

Acknowledging the challenges posed by the hot, dry climate endemic to much of inland California, state drought regulators Friday proposed easing the water-conservation rules for Sacramento and other communities where it takes extra water to keep trees from dying.

The new rules also would loosen conservation mandates for communities that have invested in new “drought-resilient” water supplies, as well as those that have experienced rapid population growth in recent years.

As California begins a new year and a hectic legislative session in Sacramento, a new Golden State Poll conducted by the Stanford University-based Hoover Institution finds California’s voters most concerned with the ongoing drought and the state’s economic recovery.

“California’s electorate is, in a word, adult,” said Hoover Institution research fellow Bill Whalen, who follows California politics and policy. “Despite the distractions of an election year and surplus revenue to spend in Sacramento, it expects lawmakers to act responsibly and sensibly.”