San Diego Mayor vows to step up fines for water wasters
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is responding to statewide cuts on water consumption by vowing to step up fines on homes and businesses that use too much.
Faulconer said Wednesday that the city would more aggressively enforce 5-month-old restrictions that include a ban on watering lawns within two days of rain and limiting lawn-watering to three days a week. Since November, the city has issued about 990 warnings but no fines.
Officials in California’s second-largest city say they will now issue one warning, instead of two, before levying fines that start at $100.
The mayor is responding to Gov. Jerry Brown’s order last week to cut urban water use by 25 percent. He says a review of city water use at parks may result in some going brown.
