Five SoCal Must-Reads: The Region's Water Crisis & More

A big picture look at the region:

• Seven million. That's about the number of residents in California without health insurance, leading the country, according to a new study. Ventura County Star reporter Tom Kisken takes a look at the report.

• "Is Southern California finally getting serious about its water crisis?" asks Jens Erik Gould at TIME. (via Aquafornia)

• Artists are blaming the gentrification of downtown Santa Ana for the shuttering later this month of MC Gallery & Studio, which is "long considered a destination in Santa Ana's Latino art world." Adam Elmahrek at the Voice of OC reports.

• A homeless tent city on church grounds is growing north of Bakersfield in Oildale and the county wants it moved within two weeks, reports Heather Hope at 17 KGET. "We're doing everything we're supposed to be doing," said Pastor Eddie Houghtaling. "So we're not going to worry about tomorrow as the Bible says, because today has enough problems of its own."

• What's going on with the city budget? Is there too much short-term relief that will hurt in the years to come? An LA Times analysis by David Zahniser finds that $100 million in personnel costs have been delayed.

Photo by danagraves via KCET's Southern California Flickr pool.