Councilman Says No Thanks to Following the Water Rules
When Greig Smith doesn't agree with a policy, he doesn't have to follow it
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Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith is playing by his own rules.
Smith announced Wednesday that he is no longer following the Department of Water and Power's twice-weekly watering limitations, the Daily News reported.
"And my grass is greener than it's ever been, and I bet I'm using less water," he told the newspaper.
Smith's act of defiance marks the first time we've heard of civil disobedience resulting in greener grass -- but it's not the first time a city official has been caught breaking the water rules.
Last month, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was busted violating the same ordinance. The mayor -- who prefers to follow his city's rules -- apologized and fixed his overly ambitious sprinkler system. Back in 2008, DWP General Manager H. David Nahai was overwatering his property. He too fixed the problem, the Daily News reported.
But that's not how Smith rolls. He says he will continue to water his lawn for 8 minutes, three times a week.
Does this mean every Angelino no longer has to follow the ordinance? Forget water -- are we allowed to violate any city policy we don't agree with?
For now, we're putting our slippery slope arguments on hold. DWP spokesman Joe Ramallo told the Daily News that the city's rules still affect all the city's residents -- including scofflaw Smith.
"If one of our water teams sees a violation, he will be cited," Ramallo told the newspaper. "And, like everyone, the first citation will be a warning and the second will be fines."
