California governor orders mandatory water restrictions

[Jay]

Some cities have to make laws to make sure people have decent lawns because if they didn't Mexicans would keep parking their non-functional cars where grass should be. Plus, they're too tired to do their own lawns after doing mine for the day.

That's why we need laws.

 

Sounds like HB only it's the white trash who park their boats and toy haulers on their lawns.

 

One of the reasons we moved away.

[Tank]

Tobias obviously has never delt with the city of Glendale or Burbank.

 

i had to deal with the city of glendale over a zoning issue several years ago. we had a landlord that wanted to raze our beautiful, spacious 37 unit apartment complex in order to build a 95 unit complex on the same footprint. many of us spent months going to city council meetings trying to persuade the council to give us a more desirable zoning rating. we lost 3-2. the three who voted to keep it zoned as it was, allowing the owner to bulldoze? all were involved in construction outside of their political office. all three were armenian, too, which may have played in to the equation of providing more housing for more armenian immigrants (that statement sounded a lot less racist in my head). 

 

in the end, the landlord raised illegally the rent of those who protested, but the city refused our evidence. most of those opposed ended up moving out. the building still hasn't been torn down, for some reason, but they wouldn't replace the pool heater and kept raising the rent, so it was time to leave on our own terms.

[Tank]

i like what MT said, that cities should have bare minimum standards. i don't want cars and washing machines and boats parked on the front lawn. 

 

during this drought, my neighbor's lawn looks exactly like it did before watering restrictions, because he never waters it, nor does he mow it. the really bizarre part is he has a dozen rose bushes that look absolutely spectacular. 

 

at least we don't have any HOA nazis running around in my neighborhood.

[AngelsLongBall]

I think I read somewhere that we'd need something like 3 above average winters in a row to get back to normal levels. 3 L Nino plz, k? thx!

The reports I read keep suggesting this could be another drought buster just like in Jerry's previous term.

That said, I absolutely believe we should keep up strict water conservation mandates, including exploring additional upstream reservoirs and toilet to tap recycling

[gotbeer]

Sucks for those that live in Glendale or Burbank then

 

And as bad as Glendale and Burbank are.  From what I hear, Palos Verdes is 100x worse.  

 

One story I heard was that if you wanted to redecorate the inside of your house, you had to get it approved from some city committee.  

[wopphil]

If only there was some way to capture all that water.

Most of it runs off into the ocean.

We gotta do something to help the Delta Smelt.

[TobiasFunke]

And as bad as Glendale and Burbank are. From what I hear, Palos Verdes is 100x worse.

One story I heard was that if you wanted to redecorate the inside of your house, you had to get it approved from some city committee.

I find that hard to believe and would love proof on that

[mp170.6]

I'm not sure I get your question MP

 

I was asking about your employer's general attitude toward code enforcement.  More specifically, is there pressure from your superiors, the City Council, or other forces to produce a specific outcome?  Are these different forces at odds with each other?

 

My experience with local government is that any reasonable employees are retaliated against for being just that, reasonable. 

[TobiasFunke]

We are a reactive enforcement with a community services mindset so no we don't get any pressure from any of the higher-ups. We individual Code Officers work each individual case however we want to get compliance and that has the approval of my supervisor who set those standards of enforcement. The Council can inquire about a case but we can only tell them the bare minimum of information. If they start to meddle in a case my supervisor will step right in and tell them to back off. But our Council knows better than to meddle into a case. My city is an interesting one because staff, City Manager, Council and Mayor all get along great. We have for a long time and I don't see anything changing.

 

 

Not every city is like the one I work for, not all employees are like me, etc. Just like with every job in the world you have to take every situation case by case. There's sloppy plumbers and there's professional plumbers, there's asshole cops and there are great cops, there are douchey code officers and there are reasonably nice code officers.

[mtangelsfan]

I think this is true in every profession TB.  Sadly I think the majority of any profession is lacking in knowledge.

 

I used to deal with fire inspectors a lot at my old job and it amazed me at how often they gave business owners the wrong information. 

 

 

Glad it seems like you are one of the good ones.

[mp170.6]

We are a reactive enforcement with a community services mindset so no we don't get any pressure from any of the higher-ups. We individual Code Officers work each individual case however we want to get compliance and that has the approval of my supervisor who set those standards of enforcement. The Council can inquire about a case but we can only tell them the bare minimum of information. If they start to meddle in a case my supervisor will step right in and tell them to back off. But our Council knows better than to meddle into a case. My city is an interesting one because staff, City Manager, Council and Mayor all get along great. We have for a long time and I don't see anything changing.

 

Thanks.

 

I'm curious what legal justification you have for this?  How do you get away with telling your boss' bosses' bosses to go away? 

[TobiasFunke]

Our City Attorney by citing two court cases which speak of the City Prosecutor requiring to act impartially has informed our council that if the Council intervenes in Code Enforcement it would give the appearance that the City Attorney is not acting impartially. It was our City Attorney that told them to keep away from us.

 

Other cities and City Attorneys might feel differently of course (and that's when those cities get in trouble or have problems internally)

Edited July 15, 2015 by TobiasFunke

[Jay]

There's little incentive for L.A. renters to take shorter showers

 

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-apartments-water-20150726-story.html

 

About 86% of apartment owners in L.A. who pay for their tenants' water have seen usage increase or stay the same since April — when Gov. Jerry Brown ordered the statewide reduction in urban water use — according to a survey by the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles.

And although officials acknowledge that the member survey wasn't a scientific study, experts say the results raise important questions about whether apartments need water meters that can break down usage by unit.

[red321]

The LA Times has been doing a road trip expose on how the drought is impacting the Central Valley and Northern California. Some of it has been very interesting.

 

http://drylandsca.latimes.com/

[wopphil]

There's little incentive for L.A. renters to take shorter showers

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-apartments-water-20150726-story.html

About 86% of apartment owners in L.A. who pay for their tenants' water have seen usage increase or stay the same since April — when Gov. Jerry Brown ordered the statewide reduction in urban water use — according to a survey by the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles.

And although officials acknowledge that the member survey wasn't a scientific study, experts say the results raise important questions about whether apartments need water meters that can break down usage by unit.

It is crazy to make someone living in an apartment - with no pool, no lawn, and probably not even a washing machine - cut back on their already low water use, while people living on multiple acres with plush lawns use so much more water.

Just goes to show how the government is so incapable of devising practical solutions to anything.

Edited July 28, 2015 by wopphil

[Blarg]

The LA Times has been doing a road trip expose on how the drought is impacting the Central Valley and Northern California. Some of it has been very interesting.

 

http://drylandsca.latimes.com/

 

My wife just took a trip up to San Jose along the 5 and said it was pretty barren. A lot of signs on the highway complaining Jerry Brown is killing the farmers of California.

[nate]

Had they begun restrictions three years ago like they should have then the restrictions never would have needed to be so severe.

[gotbeer]

It is crazy to make someone living in an apartment - with no pool, no lawn, and probably not even a washing machine - cut back on their already low water use, while people living on multiple acres with plush lawns use so much more water.

Just goes to show how the government is so incapable of devising practical solutions to anything.

 

I would disagree.  Since this isn't about just apartment.  But renters.  For instance, many houses that rent out have free water included, since the owners want to maintain the upkeep of the yards, since renters if given a choice or having to pay for it, would not maintain the yard.  

 

And this is the catch.  If the owners want to pay for the upkeep of the property, the tenant will take advantage and not care about water consumption inside, since it's all free.  But if you make the tenant responsible for the water, then they will cut corners and not water the lawn/landscaping.  

[gotbeer]

My wife just took a trip up to San Jose along the 5 and said it was pretty barren. A lot of signs on the highway complaining Jerry Brown is killing the farmers of California.

 

I remember those signs.  35 years ago.  

[red321]

Do the signs blame Jerry Brown now? Used to be Boxer and Pelosi.

[Tank]

My wife just took a trip up to San Jose along the 5 and said it was pretty barren. A lot of signs on the highway complaining Jerry Brown is killing the farmers of California.

 

yep. they've been blaming congress, pelosi, and boxer a ton, also.

[mp170.6]

Had they begun restrictions three years ago like they should have then the restrictions never would have needed to be so severe.

 

It doesn't appear you understand the problem very well. 

[nate]

I understand it really well, which part do you think I don't get?

[mp170.6]

I understand it really well, which part do you think I don't get?

 

Jerry Brown's mandatory 25% water reduction rules apply to urban potable water only.  That amounts to, at most, 20% of the total water supply.  Some studies put the amount of urban water usage even lower. 

 

If Californians meet Brown's goal (a lot easier said than done) the best possible scenario is a 5% overall reduction in water usage, which is (practically speaking) a rounding error.  Jerry Brown enacting these rules a few years ago, as you suggested, would have accomplished very little. 

 

 

[nate]

Did you miss the part where he has significantly cut water usage buy the ag industry?

 

Also if they did 5% per year for the last three that adds up.