AM Alert: Lady Gaga joins California’s water conservation campaign | The Sacramento Bee

Back in February, pop superstar Lady Gaga got permission to fill the pool at Hearst Castle for a music video shoot. Among the conditions of the deal was her participation in a public service announcement promoting water conservation, which earned her a letter of thanks from Gov. Jerry Brown.

Five months later, the PSA has finally arrived and it’s...a simple 17-second plea to “help save water at home” amid California’s historic drought. Sadly, you’ll find none of the singing, wacky outfits or theatrical production values Lady Gaga is known for.

The spot did inspire a couple of punny tweets from the Brown administration, though, including one from the governor himself.

Hopefully the campaign will help the state’s efforts to reduce water use get back on track. While Brown called for a 20 percent conservation target in January, Californians actually increased their water use by 1 percent in May compared to previous years.

VIDEO: With Californians' views rapidly changing, a federal judge's decision throwing out the death penalty in the Golden State may really spell the end, Dan Walters says.

IRON CHEF: As part of Military Appreciation Day at the State Fair, the California Department of Veterans Affairs hosts an “MRE cooking challenge,” where local chefs will be challenged to create delicious meals from randomly-selected military rations. Qualifying rounds are at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and the finalists face off at 7 p.m. in Building B at Cal Expo.

I LOVE COLLEGE: California’s Master Plan for Higher Education, which created the state’s three-part public university system, has been praised as visionary policy and criticized as hopelessly outdated. The Campaign for College Opportunity says it’s time for something new. The organization will host a discussion on crafting a new plan that addresses the challenges of higher education in California, including poor college completion rates and a persistent achievement gap for minority students, 2:30 p.m. at the Shriners Hospital for Children.

READ MORE: California adopts $500 criminal penalty for water waste