Long Beach's program is nothing new as Los Angeles has been doing it since last June. The big difference, however, is that Long Beach is offering residents $2.50 instead of $1.00 for every square foot that is transformed from bitch-thirsty lawn grass to native landscaping that thrives off the Southern California climate. more ›

"What we've seen has been totally unfair toward landscapers," tells Larry Walsh, assistant executive director of the California State Landscaping Contractors Association, to the Daily News. "We think the idea of two-day limits [Mondays and Thursdays] is wrong. It would be much better to have a water budgeting system, where people are allowed a certain amount of water at a base rate and they decide how to reach it... We are asking that there be an exemption for landscapers and for people living in fire areas. When you have professional landscapers, you use less water. With a two-day limit, people tend to over-water their plants." The LA Department of Water, that is in charge of the program, says the program is under constant review and will make changes when necessary. For now (and maybe for a long time), landscapers will have to adjust to from their usual ways. more ›

LA City Council today approved the third phase of a water conservation ordinance aimed a reducing the consumption of this bitch-thirsty city. Soon, residents and businesses may only water their lawns and other landscaping on Mondays and Thursdays. An earlier phase, which prohibited watering between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. remains in effect. The new restriction begins on June 1st. more ›

The County Board of Supervisors are set to vote tomorrow on three progressive green ordinances tomorrow that would affect unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, some of which that are the most undeveloped (look northward to the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valley areas). The ordinances--green building, drought tolerant landscaping and low-impact development (LID)--would "be the singularly most progressive environmental action ever taken by the county and will set an impressive precedent for the entire region," writes Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay, on his blog. But Gold is reserving excitement warning that the Building Industry Association is mobilizing to kill it. more ›