Brown signs bill reversing bans on clotheslines

[Gormy Cuss]

10. The state mandated restrictions on lawn watering for everyone

Last edited Sat Oct 10, 2015, 10:25 AM - Edit history (1)

but here the issue of fining homeowners for brown lawns or no lawns is more associated with HOAs than municipalities.

As for trees and keeping houses cool, encouraging shade in interior CA is a good thing as are houses designed to shed heat rather than absorb it. I live in a hot valley but my "old" house has very deep soffits which act as shade and a well vented attic which also sloughs off heat. The weather norm here even in the summer is for the outside temperature to drop quickly as soon as the sun sets --20-30 degree drops overnight are common. Humidity is low. It takes 3 consecutive 90+ degree days for the interior temperature to rise to an uncomfortable level. That's with less than 10% shade from trees.

Trees as shade here are a mixed blessing. The wrong varieties (eucalyptus for one) pose other hazards (fire, limb drops, shallow roots) that may outweigh the shade benefits.