If you’re caught wasting water in California, the most you can be fined right now is $500. Governor Jerry Brown wants to raise the maximum penalty to 20 times that amount. Ben Adler has more from Sacramento on the governor’s latest drought response proposal.
Brown wants to raise the maximum fine to $10,000 per water violation. He also wants to give cities, counties and water agencies the authority to issue fines without going through the courts.
Brown: “I don’t like to increase penalties too much. But they have to be appropriate. And I think this is what – we’re finding that we needed some more, and that’s what we’re doing.”
The governor is also directing state agencies to expedite their environmental reviews of local water projects.
Brown: “We’re pushing the law. Put it this way: We’re pushing as far as we can within the confines of the legal structure.”
That, he can do on his own. The water penalty proposal will require legislative approval. Lawmakers approved his previous drought proposal within a week. This time, the governor’s office says it’ll likely wait for the state budget, which won’t be voted on until mid-June.