Gov. (Jerry) Brown orders more emergency drought measures

[Newsjock]

Source: Sacramento Bee

Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed a sweeping new emergency drought proclamation cutting red tape in a variety of government functions to help water agencies find new supplies, and to press the public to use water carefully.

... The governor first proclaimed a drought emergency on Jan. 17. This second proclamation goes further by waiving compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act and the state Water Code for a number of actions, including water transfers, wastewater treatment projects, habitat improvements for winter-run Chinook salmon imperiled by the drought, and curtailment of water rights.

... This move worries some environmental groups that say such waivers don’t necessarily help bring water to people any faster.

... The proclamation also seeks to plug a loophole that allows homeowner associations to require residents to water lawns, even if this is in conflict with local water agency rules, and to fine them if they do not. It declares “void and unenforceable” any such provision of a homeowner association governing document.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/25/6354618/gov-brown-orders-more-emergency.html

[scarletwoman]

1. Fuck lawns. The origin of lawns was the Feudal practice of cutting back all cover surrounding

castles, so enemies could not sneak up and attack unobserved.

Modern urbanites and suburbanites are highly unlikely to need preventive measures for foiling armed attacks by rival armies. The lawn has simply become a status symbol - pandering to the egos of folks who aspire to appear high class, eg wealthy and important enough to surround their "castles" with open space.

Cultivating lawns is wasteful and unecological - wasting precious water resources, using chemical fertilizers and weed control - it's absolutely insane and unsustainable.

[Kablooie]

2. Now that you've told me I want my lawn even more.

I'm terrified of neighbors sneaking up and and attacking me.
My lawn is my primary protection.

[scarletwoman]

4. If you turned your lawn into a vegetable garden, your neighbors still won't be able sneak up on you

Although I suppose they might steal your vegetables.

You'll just need to stand your ground.

[Auntie Bush]

6. No, you need to WORK your ground!

[scarletwoman]

8. LOL! Yes, you're absolutely correct!

[jtuck004]

9. Note: It's a lot easier to hide monitors and wireless alarms in a garden. Much better than

depending on seeing a fleeting shadow in a dark lawn.

And when you scare them, they trip on your string.

[scarletwoman]

10. I forgot to ask - are your neighbors coming with catapults and trebuchets?

Siege engines? Long ladders? Battering rams?

Other than that, all you need to do is plant thorny shrubs under all your windows.

[Katashi_itto]

19. Beware of Samurai using your lawn chairs to cover their advance on your manor!

[paleotn]

14. All they really need .....

...are briar patches, like the wild blackberries that grow thick and tall around here. Add a little invasive wild rose, intertwined with native poison ivy vines nearly as big as my arm and you've got an absolutely murderous and impenetrable mass of thorns and allergens guarding the ole casa. And it keeps on giving days after the invaders have retreated in confusion. No marauding army could possibly get through that, unless they brought their goats with them. Goats love all that stuff! Wild critters love it too.

I greatly dislike suburban lawns nearly as much as golf courses. Just contaminated, resource sucking waste lands. Nothing but waste lands.

[scarletwoman]

15. Very good. As I said above, plant thorny shrubs beneath your windows,

if you're worried about break-ins. There's no rational reason for grass lawns.

[Hekate]

23. Defensive landscaping is an actual thing! I looked it up and survivalists actually talk about it...

However, I first learned about such a concept from the son of a motel owner. They planned their attractive landscaping to be impervious to the children of guests, so that flowering shrubs were chosen for their thorns, etc.

[scarletwoman]

24. I had no idea it was a survivalist thing, although I guess that makes sense.

I think I first read about planting thorny shrubs beneath windows to prevent break-ins in an old murder mystery/detective fiction book!

[hsueh-li]

25. Ah, the modern American house and lot.

It's the poor man's imitation of an English manor, with surrounding lawns and gardens. Ride to foxes, anyone?

[scarletwoman]

26. Quite so.

Cheerio, old boy - and welcome to DU!

[PasadenaTrudy]

3. I stopped watering months ago

Grass is turning brown. I'm going to xeriscape, eventually.

[itsrobert]

5. Becareful

Some cities will give you cash to turn green lawns into drought tolerant landscapes. But the catch is your lawn must be nice and green before you do it and documented in pictures.

[PasadenaTrudy]

21. I just have

a small parkway strip of grass. I own and live in a commercial/residential property. My city has a program but my square footage is so small, I won't qualify.

[olddad56]

17. I live in Scaramento, haven't watered the lawn this year. It is still green...

and it rained all day today.

[shanti]

22. i live in sacramento too

before our rain (the one before yesterday's storm), my small lawn was looking pretty scuzzy, but it has greened up now. i hadn't watered until that rain though.

there are a few units on my street with xeriscaping - i am considering it myself. it can look nice if well done.

[Thor_MN]

20. We just started to see grass. It's been covered in white stuff up until now.

It will be a couple months before it turns brown, I haven't watered in years

[savalez]

7. Desert style lawns are always a good low water option.

IMO they're beautiful too.

[scarletwoman]

11. Rock gardens, rain gardens...

There are plenty of aesthetically attractive and ecologically beneficial alternatives to plain grass lawns.

[passiveporcupine]

12. Cali, please don't look to Oregon for more water

We are experiencing drought conditions here too.

[olddad56]

16. California doesn't get water from Oregon

Northern California would have plenty but too much gets sent to Southern California.

[passiveporcupine]

18. They used to try. I hope they never go back to that. n/t

Oregon can't even handle it's own water shortage problems...we can't afford to help out Cali too.

[Mz Pip]

13. It rained today

And where I am it snowed. Weird weather. Every bit of precipitation helps. But we need a whole lot more.

We travel up to Northeast Ca regularly. Many of the fields that are normally planted and growing are now just plowed dirt.