The state legislature has found that:
A. The waters of the state are of limited supply and are subject to ever increasing demands;
B. The continuation of California’s economic prosperity is dependent on the availability of adequate supplies of water for future uses;
C. It is the policy of the state to promote the conservation and efficient use of water and to prevent the waste of this valuable resource;
D. Landscapes are essential to the quality of life in California by providing areas for active and passive recreation and as an enhancement to the environment by cleaning air and water, preventing erosion, offering fire protection, and replacing ecosystems lost to development;
E. Landscape design, installation, maintenance, and management can and should be water efficient; and
F. Article X, Section 2 of the California Constitution specifies that the right to use water is limited to the amount reasonably required for the beneficial use to be served, and the right does not and shall not extend to waste or unreasonable method of use of water.
G. Consistent with these findings, the purpose of the city’s water efficient landscape ordinance is to establish a model acceptable under Governor Brown’s April 1, 2015 Drought Executive Order (B-19-25) as being at least as effective as the state model water efficient landscape ordinance in the context of conditions in the city in order to:
1. Promote the values and benefits of landscapes while recognizing the need to utilize water and other resources as efficiently as possible;
2. Establish a structure for planning, designing, installing, and maintaining and managing water efficient landscapes in new construction and rehabilitated projects;
3. Establish provisions for water management practices and water waste prevention for existing landscapes; and
4. Use water efficiently without waste by setting a Maximum Applied Water Allowance as an upper limit for water use and reduce water use to the lowest practical amount. (Ord. 17-948 § 4, 2017)