Los Angeles gets its water from anywhere but Los Angeles. Much like America's dependence on foreign oil, L.A.'s dependence on "foreign" water hurts the community, especially during a statewide drought.
Why can't Los Angeles simply produce its own water? That wasn't always an easy solution, but Mayor Villaraigosa recently began a determined initiative to start turning highly treated sewage into drinkable water. Residents of Orange County have already responded positively to their own multistage filtration system that has led them to "water independence" with clean, local drinking water. Though the processes they're using are already state-of-the-art, technology is growing and changing quickly.
New and refined technologies combined with a drought, competition for California's water supply and some pressing political issues making now the best time for L.A. to start "making" its own water.