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"We're Not All Equal When It Comes To Water" - Rich Californians Blast Conservation Efforts
Facing an epic drought of Dust Bowl proportions, California is, in AP’s words, “sparing fewer and fewer users in the push to cut back on water usage.” Earlier this week we reported that, for the first time in decades, the state is imposing mandatory cuts for senior water rights holders. “The order applies to farmers and others whose rights to water were staked more than a century ago,” AP noted, adding that “many farmers holding those senior-water rights contend the state has no authority to order cuts.”
This of course comes on the heels of an executive order from Governor Jerry Brown which went into effect on June 1 and calls for cities and municipalities to cut consumption by between 25% and 36%, cuts which, while feasible for the likes of Santa Rosa, which can afford to give away 50,000 low-flow toilets, are unrealistic for other, more fiscally challenged locales. And while some good samaritans are willing to sacrifice their lawns (albeit with the help of taxpayer subsidies) for the good of the state, other, more affluent Californians contend that while money may not be able to buy happiness, it should damn sure be able to buy water. The Washington Post has more:
Drought or no drought, Steve Yuhas resents the idea that it is somehow shameful to be a water hog. If you can pay for it, he argues, you should get your water.
People “should not be forced to live on property with brown lawns, golf on brown courses or apologize for wanting their gardens to be beautiful,” Yuhas fumed recently on social media. “We pay significant property taxes based on where we live,” he added in an interview. “And, no, we’re not all equal when it comes to water.”
Yuhas lives in the ultra-wealthy enclave of Rancho Santa Fe, a bucolic Southern California hamlet of ranches, gated communities and country clubs that guzzles five times more water per capita than the statewide average. In April, after Gov. Jerry Brown (D) called for a 25 percent reduction in water use, consumption in Rancho Santa Fe went up by 9 percent.
So far, the community’s 3,100 residents have not felt the wrath of the water police. Authorities have issued only three citations for violations of a first round of rather mild water restrictions announced last fall. In a place where the median income is $189,000, where PGA legend Phil Mickelson once requested a separate water meter for his chipping greens, where financier Ralph Whitworth last month paid the Rolling Stones $2 million to play at a local bar, the fine, at $100, was less than intimidating.
All that is about to change, however. Under the new rules, each household will be assigned an essential allotment for basic indoor needs. Any additional usage — sprinklers, fountains, swimming pools — must be slashed by nearly half for the district to meet state-mandated targets.
Residents who exceed their allotment could see their already sky-high water bills triple. And for ultra-wealthy customers undeterred by financial penalties, the district reserves the right to install flow restrictors — quarter-size disks that make it difficult to, say, shower and do a load of laundry at the same time.
In extreme cases, the district could shut off the tap altogether.
That’s right. Soon, residents of Rancho Santa Fe may be forced to stop watering their personal chipping greens or worse still, could find themselves standing in a brown fairway. And while some might argue that asking the community to cut back by 36% is reasonable, especially considering the hamlet uses 400% more water per capita than the state average, others, like resident Gay Butler (who enjoys trail rides on her show horse and whose water bill averages around $800/month according to WaPo) are outraged:
"What are we supposed to do, just have dirt around our house on four acres?"
(Gay Butler)
Here's a look at what's at stake should California decide to apply the same rules to rich people as they do to everyone else:
Before anyone loses sleep over what those scenic views would look like if everything that's green were to suddenly turn brown, rest assured that some wealthy Californians are prepared to take the fight to the bitter end to protect their lawns and fairways and on that note, we'll close with a quote from Yorba City's Brett Barbre who, when asked about the possibility that the state could compel him to put down his watering hose, said the following:
"They'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands."
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Johnny lives on in the souls of every artist who lent their mugs to that vid. It's Vevo- therefore not organic. Tomorrow, I'm gonna see Blackberry Smoke, what's left of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Travis fucking Tritt at Verizon Amphitheater.
Personally, I think the order of appearance oughta be reversed.
I tell everybody at work to watch out, because around here droughts are cured by floods. We in California face a situation kind of like what Texas is going through right now. The big floods in Northern California in 1986 were during a drought year. We started February of that year in a drought, and 3 weeks later we had 20 feet of water in some towns and had to repair levees and dams around Sacramento.
"Just think of all those thirsty arab farmers" - Montgomery Brewster.
Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner.
http://www.amazon.com/Cadillac-Desert-American-Disappearing-Revised/dp/0...
It turns out that these folks will very likely get the last drop. I don't recall the specific title or number, but by constitutional amendment local units of government can only charge customers the cost of providing that service. So, if it costs a city a penny a gallon to deliver water, including the cost of administration, etc. they can only charge a penny a gallon. Meaning that cities that wish to dissuade lawn watering during a drought cannot do so through an inverted rate structure (charging heavy users more per unit than low water users). Now, they could pass city ordinances that could result in fines for wasteful use, but economic incentives to conserve are off the table. Water-on Rancho Santa Fe, water-on.
I've seen comments like yours in a few different places. Not sure where it has come from, but I'm looking at my bill. I assure you that San Diego has a tiered water pricing system.
I've seen comments like yours in a few different places. Not sure where it has come from, but I'm looking at my bill. I assure you that San Diego has a tiered water pricing system.
Time to hire a large administrative staff and pay them each a million a year. They can donate the overage back to the food bank.
property for sale on Lake Huron
http://www.lakesiderealty.info/property-listings/residential-real-estate...
". . . when asked about the possibility that the state could compel him to put down his watering hose, said the following: "They'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands." "
Conditions accepted.
On the plus side, a lot of towns in less selfish parts of California have already exceeded 20 pct savings and are well on the way toward 25 pct savings by yearend. Everybody in my neighborhood has brown lawns. I water the tree out front with a bucket from the shower. Hmph.
no point to save the water if agro and rich don't
Let's face it: You picked a bad place to build a golf course and plant a lawn. So, what can Brown do for you?
The writing is on the wall and it reads: Planet Earth, you're FUBAR.
The profound materialism of even the moderately wealthy as a population today is absolutely epic. Of course, this is what drives people to amass riches in the first place, but, by the same token, renders them exceedingly ill-equipped in proportion to face the evaporation of their portfolios due to an unexpectedly sudden, fiat monetary collapse.
Ironically in this instance though, California is now well positioned (so to speak :) to issue a water-backed currency of its own. [Go ahead, think about it] After all, as the keynesians are so fond of saying, you can't drink gold...
Jerry keeps importing millions of foriegn occupants yearly with open arms then askes each Californian to reduce their carbon and water footprint to minimize the burden on water supplies and air quality. Huh?
I remember the line from NYPD BLUE.
"Rich people can afford their whims"
And this is why California is doomed.
Santa Rosa buys low flush toilets to give away.
A simple brick in the tank will do the same thing.
Morons.
for some of these retards a brick to the head might be a better solution. lol
property for sale on Lake Erie
lake erie, you're kidding, right.
Ohio and Michigan have agreed to sharply reduce phosphorus runoff blamed for a rash of harmful algae blooms on Lake Erie that have contaminated drinking water supplies and contributed to oxygen-deprived dead zones where fish can't survive.Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-06-states-pollutants-lake-erie-algae.html#jCp
property for sale on Lake Michigan
lake michigan, you're kidding right?
http://www.naturalnews.com/042440_pharmaceutical_drugs_Lake_Michigan_env...
the great lakes ain't great anymore, unfortunately. :(
There is plenty of water and plenty of space in the great white north. You are welcome over here anytime.
Why not charge residences $x/gallon for first 4k to 5k gallons per month and then jack the rate up 10 fold after that? Problem solved? No change in cost for normal household consumption and then astronomical for folks who really use a lot for pools, landscaping, pot growing, car washing, etc.
Water is still dirt cheap in California. For one month rent you get about as much water as in Lake Tahoe or something like that.
Long Astroturf
lmao
they just don't get it do they.
a view of the underbelly of the exceptional, overweight, brain dead american society.
good riddance, the sooner the better
Why don't these rich fuckers truck in their own water from somewhere it is plentiful instead of using the shared resources of a community.
Californian rich people say about poor folk: "Let them eat brown grass".
This is a great opportunity for an entrepreneurial spirit. Drive a truckload of water from Nevada or Arizona into this neighborhood and sell it. Leave notice that there is unlimited amounts of water to be had... for a price.
Collect sewage plant effluent and sell it as golf course irrigation... there are many ways to make a profit from this shit.
They slightly have a point if they pay monster property taxes. If they are forced to cut back on a service then cut back their property taxes.
Having said that, I still think they're a bunch of whining superficial bitches and they should probably move to a place that isn't as silly as California is where they can water their useless grass as much as they want.
BS. Paying property taxes is not pay for water. Paying for water is paying for water and no one actully pays for their water in CA because it is against the law to charge a market price for it.