NASA says california has less than a year of water left

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You could well be right on the water use of lawns vs. crops. Xeriscaping is like an alien thing to me living in Belgium but artificial turf is not and I can't see why it shouldn't be made compulsory for those that insist on luscious lawns of green grass.

Done properly, I find a xeriscaped yard more attractive than one with lots of water-thirsty grass.

Click on the link below for a nice example of xeriscaping.

http://charlesmann.photoshelter.com/gallery/Xeriscape-and-drought-tolerant-gardens-photos/G0000o9vE5CvTeDA/C0000_FHC7DXP7Xc

It looks nice, but I think many people will want grass for their kids to play on. In the Netherlands water is usually not an issue and many gardens are mainly grass surrounded by some bushes, trees or flowers. I liked that as a kid, it also had lots of creepy crawlies in it and different wild flowers, and in autumn mushrooms that looked mysterious. It makes sense though that people should adapt their garden to the climate. I also see it here, where people want exotic plants in their garden that die from the frost, easier to just get some local plants that you know will survive.

My solution would be to have a part of the yard that is grass and the rest xeriscaped. For that matter, it would be possible to use a grass that is more appropriate for your climate and water situation. In parts of Texas, many people have lawns of St Augustine which needs enormous amounts of water.

The St Augustine should be allowed to die off and be replaced with a grass that needs far less water. It ticks me off when city people want to empty the underground aquifers of water just so they can raise a grass in their yard that is only appropriate in places that receive several times as much rain.

My gay uncle (in both senses) lives in Sacramento and his house is located on a corner. When I last saw it, the front of the house was just covered in very dark green well-mowed grass. And the friggin' back of his house has an artificial stream and pond with fish swimming inside. He's also got a greenhouse for growing some delicacies, with a bit of an extra thing.

My uncle might have to change his lifestyle.

Had a look at that link and I am utterly amazed at all the colour
Xeriscaping to me conjures up images of cactusses and succulents, all rather boring but nothing boring about the gardens in that link

Still, the government of California should get off its ass and increase the water supply quickly. It's easy to hope for citizens to change their behavior, but that probably takes a lot longer than just building a bunch of water purification plants. Waiting for citizens to do the right thing never works out, better to increase the water supply until they drown in it.