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Question: The homeowner's association in my "planned community" does not allow artificial grass in my yard. What are my options?

Answer: You should point the administration of your HOA to a new extension AB 349 of the bill AB 2104 by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego. AB 2104 required a common interest developments to adopt a updated model ordinance regarding water-efficient landscapes that are effective in conserving water. New assembly bill AB 349 prohibits HOAs impose a fine or assessment on separate interest owners for use of artificial grass or any other synthetic surface that resembles grass, unless your homeowner association uses recycled water for landscape irrigation.

"We face a very real water shortage that challenges many of our old habits, and there's nothing fake about our responsibility to find ways to conserve wherever we can," Gonzalez said. "All Californians have tough benchmarks for reducing their water use, and it's our job to make sure homeowners have every opportunity to achieve the conservation we need."

At the time of California historic drought, this act is an urgency statue shall go into immediate effect. Numerous homeowner associations discriminated and fined homeowners who attempted to replace their water-thirsty lawns with synthetic grass.

Morrison Ranch Estates Homeowners' Association fined Agoura Hills homeowner, Greg Greenstein who replaced the grass on his property with artificial grass in his effort to conserve water, with more than $4,000 and demanded to remove the new lawn.

Rancho Pacifica, a gated community of multimillion-dollar homes in the hills east of Del Mar, prohibited a retired couple, Brian and Frances Holloway, who live in a palatial 9,000-square-foot Mediterranean to get rid of the water- sucking front lawn. They fine them $50 per day until the lawn removal.

La Costa Valley HOA, Carlsbad, CA turned down Val Buonaiuto, who planned to install artificial grass in his front yard.

In Carlsbad, California James Zemel installed synthetic lawns in his front and backyards. According to LAtimes he spent $14,000, and his monthly bill has dropped to $38. His water district sent him a thank you letter for his conservation effort. However, his HOA has demanded to remove the grass from his front yard, and threaten him with fines and legal action.

Las Costa Green HOA is one of the few in San Diego County that allows fake grass on front lawns. Its resident, Rocky Wilson, grandfathered synthetic grass installation in his home, in 2006.

The first bill didn't include artificial grass as a part of the water-efficient landscape. Gonzales said she held back because of Brown's past opposition to protections. In 2011, the governor said individual HOAs should make the decision, not state government. Residents outside of homeowners associations are free to install fake grass with few, if any, restrictions. But in 2015, California found itself in the fourth year of severe and potentially devastating drought.

Landscape irrigation, according to the Department of Water Resources draws 43 percent of residential water use. The installation of artificial grass, instead of traditional landscapes and lawns, can directly decrease outdoor water use to support the Governor's mandated 25-percent statewide water use reduction.

During the state of emergency, declared by Jerry Brown on July 1, 2015, homeowners associations are prohibited to fine and discriminated the members who are installing artificial grass on their front lawns. Throughout California, homeowners are subject to strict water conservation ordinances. While in the middle of a water deficiency crisis, homeowner associations are not allowing members to perform deliberate sacrifices and are still forcing them to keep grass lawns, and fining them. AB 349 ensures that all homeowners have the right to conserve water by replacing grass with artificial turf.

The bill stated that "Property owners who pursue water conservation should be encouraged, not sued or fined. Thus, this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety."

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Al Madrigal, L.A. resident, wasn't in mood to discuss California drought with Jon Stewart. 

"I'm sick of it,"  - he says. "Back home it's all we talk about. We use to go to dinner and discuss movies. Which stars are secretly gays. But now it's just - "How long was your shower. Did you use a backet? Hey, that's a guy whose lawn is green. Call the cops! "

 

Man, it feels good! I am taking an advantage of your unregulated East Coast Water-topia! Man, it feels good! 

 

Jon, I have to get it out of my system before I go home and slip the recycled toilet water. 

 

I haven't wasted water like this in years!

 

I am going to paint this town wet, Jon!

 

Named Best Stand-Up Comedian by the HBO/U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Al Madrigal's comedy has been called "dynamic" by The New York Times. His unique, spontaneous and fast-paced lyrical storytelling style has made him a regular on television with numerous appearances on Comedy Central including his own half-hour Comedy Central Presents Special and appearances on John Oliver's New York Stand-up Show and Pretend Time with Nick Swardson. Al has also appeared with Conan O'Brien (as one of the first 20 guests during his stint as host of "The Tonight Show," and on "Conan" on TBS) as well as multiple appearances on ""Lopez Tonight," "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

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While the state of California is experiencing the serious water drought, Beverly Hills residents are facing the reality of cutting down their water usage as much as by 35%, in light of the governor of California, Jerry Brown, mandate. The state promises to fine water wasters as much as $1,000 per day. 

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Battling with one of the most damaging droughts on history and confronted by mandatory water cuts, many California state citizens are deciding to allow their rich, green lawns simply turn brown, and consequently dealing with financial penalties for it. After hearing some reports that certain cities have fined their residents for letting their lawns turn to brown in the event of the drought , the California state Assembly passed a bill Thursday that prohibits fees and penalties for residents who decide to not water their lawn, the Los Angeles Times reports. "If California state is likely to administer its water resources resourcefully and sustainably, in that case we must not permit municipalities to penalize individuals for conserving water by not consistently watering their lawn ," assemblywoman Cheryl R . Brown ( D-Rialto ) said. A large number of California state cities possess maintenance ordinances indicating the condition wherein residential laws should be kept. As reported by the LA Times, financial penalties when dealing with these ordinances start out at about $100 a week to a flat fee of $500. On April 1, Governor Jerry Brown declared the state's first-ever mandatory water cuts , needing the state to help reduce its water usage 25 % by February 2016, a move that probably would conserve some 500 billion gallons of water. California's water resources are broke up among environmental uses, for example, water in protected rivers and streams, or water put aside for preserving habitat - and also agricultural and urban uses. Environmental necessitates require 50 % of the state's water, with cultivation accounting for 40 %. Urban utilization clocks in at only 10 %. Within that 10 %, outdoor residential water, the water utilized in swimming pools and landscape irrigation - is the primary important use, accounting for 34 % of the state's entire urban water utilization. As emphasized by the University of California, a lawn is "almost constantly the single largest user of water at home landscape", a 500-square-foot grassed area can use a lot more than 18, 000 gallons of water annually. In April of 2014, Gov. Brown finalized an executive order mandating that homeowners' associations should not fine individuals for failing to water their lawns. But nevertheless particular homeowners' association guidelines can continue to make water conservation measures challenging for homeowners, something that a resident of Southern California, Greg Greenstein, states that have been happening to him. As reported by KLTA5 News in Los Angeles, Greenstein changed his home's grass with artificial turf in January with a purpose to conserve water. Since that time, he claims to have accumulated over $4, 000 in penalties from his homeowners' association, which states the replacement was made without appropriate architectural authorization. When Greenstein declined to remove the turf, the homeowners' association started penalizing him $50 each and every day.  The homeowners' association argues that Greenstein wasn't fined for having turf, however for installing it without prior authorization. Greenstein's homeowners' association enacted a prohibit on artificial turf on front lawns in 2008 and declared that right now there wasn't enough interest to alter the rule when the association recently reconsidered it. The state Assembly's bill trying to prevent cities from leveraging penalties on inhabitants with brown lawns passed 74 to 0, and right now would go to the state Senate for a consideration. Lawmakers are likewise thinking about a bill that probably would avoid homeowners' associations from prohibiting homeowners to put in place turf as a water conservation measure. ...

What wouldn't you do in the face of California Drought? San Jose's and Santa Clara's mayors took big gulps of filtered sewage water on Monday, April 28. Good stuff? Ouch.  Disinfected and purified water from the sewage has been used since 1997 in Silicon Valley for the landscaping irrigation and industrial purposes. New Advanced Water Purification Center in Alviso opened in July 2015, take previously filtered water to a new level, cleans it with microfilters, ultraviolet light and reverse osmosis. The outcome is generally distilled water. After five years of nowhere near sufficient rain, Californians are questioning where else to find water, and it often comes to the question about the desalination. The cost of water that comes from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is $400 an acre-foot. Filter sewage water will cost $1,100 - $1,500, and the desalination brings the price up to $3,000.  Silicon Valley political leaders propose to almost triple the use of purified water from twenty thousand acre-feet a year to fifty-five thousand, which covers twenty percent of the country's total water demand by 2025. They hope to get by the California Environmental Quality Act using an exemption from CEQA under an executive Gov. Jerry Brown's mandate issued April 1.  The $800 million finance for this project could be funded with state bond money and federal funds. But to the homeowners it still means increased water rates. While Silicon Valley is facing the future of drinking out the toilet for the double price, it might be a good time for us to make less dramatic steps. For example, replace natural turf with artificial.  ...

Global Syn-Turf, Inc., the world's largest manufacturer and supplier of artificial grass, participated in Watersavers Irrigation's Demo Day on April 3rd. The event took place at one of Watersavers Irrigation's warehouse stores. More than 100 Northern California irrigation and green industry professionals and consumers attended the event to test out the latest irrigation systems and landscaping supplies, and listen to presentations from top supply manufacturers.

"We've been selling artificial grass products for years now, so even before the event we had established ourselves in the region," said a GST rep. "However, ever since California's water crisis, and now Jerry Brown's announcement of mandatory water restrictions, we've become the definitive regional experts on artificial grass in California. We're receiving an unprecedented amount of interest from local contractors and municipalities who want to test our products."

With more than 95 gallons of water per day wasted on outdoor uses per household, consumers, contractors and dealers stand to benefit from artificial grass's advantages. According to the GST rep, Global Syn-Turf has the power to fundamentally transform the culture of the irrigation and green industries by making it easy for people to have a perfectly lush, verdant lawn without consuming precious resources.

The Global Syn-Turf team was on hand at the event to present the company's latest artificial grass innovations, such as Cashmere, an artificial grass product whose softness and flexibility is unmatched in the industry.

The Demo Day featured a number of different products and ideas from companies across the industry, ranging from efficient irrigation techniques to drought-tolerant landscaping alternatives. And since Demo Days are open to the public, the event was able to connect consumers with professional suppliers and distributors who share an interest in water-wise landscaping and irrigation.

"It was an honor to represent the artificial grass community at this event," said a GST rep. "As a wholesale manufacturer, having the chance to interact with the end-user face-to-face is quite special. It was a tremendous opportunity for our staff to meet people and companies in the landscape and irrigation ecosystem. We hope it will serve as a model for other events in the future."

This announcement comes at an exciting time for the young company, which was founded in 2009. In March 2015 the company was selected for the prestigious Best of Hayward Award in the Lawn & Garden Equipment category for 2015. Furthermore, earlier this month Global Syn-Turf participated in the Carmel Valley Garden Show in Carmel Valley, CA, representing the artificial grass industry in Northern California.

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