Gov. Jerry Brown Proposes $10,000 Fines For Egregious Water Wasters During Drought
SACRAMENTO (KCBS)— Governor Jerry Brown met with most of California's big city mayors Tuesday to discuss the drought in the State Capitol and to announce a plan to slap water wasters with much stiffer fines.
Brown's round-table meeting included the mayors of Oakland, San Diego, Livermore and Fresno. The meeting included 14 mayors in all, despite the absence of mayors from San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento, to brainstorm drought solutions.
Brown's announced legislation would punish egregious water wasters with much different fines; $10,000 per violation instead of the $500 maximum allowed now.
"We're in a drought, it's an emergency and we have to act expeditiously," said Brown.
He said he hopes the higher fines will be an incentive to curb the behavior of those still ignoring water-conservation regulations. He's also urging state agencies to streamline environmental review for certain water projects that would increase local water supply without harming the environment.
Brown acknowledged the mayors of the various cities are not all on the same page when it comes to water needs and the impact of the drought.
"People face different environmental challenges and out of this very complex state, we're going to do everything we can to save water and to get it done."
