Question Earthority!

“Sacramento city officials on Wednesday admitted their code enforcement policies may not be drought-friendly, and said they won’t fine the couple featured in Wednesday’s Bee who let their front lawn die to save water. The story prompted a torrent of outrage from the public, who overwhelmingly supported Anne Hartridge and Matt George, the east Sacramento couple cited by city code enforcers after they stopped watering their lawn. … The city’s director of code enforcement, Max Fernandez, told The Bee on Wednesday the front-yard rules allow more flexibility than the code language indicates. The code states explicitly that front yards ’shall be landscaped, irrigated and maintained.’ This would seem to preclude yards that are simply mulched, like Hartridge’s, or those that use cactuses or other drought-tolerant plants requiring no water.” (07/03/08)