Historic mandatory water use reductions in California are spawning a new campaign from the nation’s largest faux lawn distributor.
In the spirit of government instituted mandates like Obamacare, the fake grass company’s co-founder is appealing openly to Governor Jerry Brown for a new law mandating fake grass that would give his business a boost.
“People are stuck between a rock and a hard place because most HOA’s require residents to water their lawn, while the state is simultaneously reducing their water usage. On top of that, some HOA’s don’t even allow homeowners to install synthetic grass, so what do they do? This is where we need our governor to step in,” said Victor Lanfranco, co-founder of Synthetic Grass Warehouse (SGW). SGW is the faux grass company lobbying Brown for a faux grass mandate putting out multiple press releases promoting government lawn rebates and mandates.
Such comments reveal the compounding troubles of an increasingly overregulated population. While Lanfranco advocates for more regulation, it is government regulation that benefits his company financially. Rather in a free market, businesses will succeed if one supplies a desirable product that draws demand from marketplace consumers.
“Synthetic Grass Warehouse calls on Governor Jerry Brown to propose a law where synthetic grass is both allowed and encouraged anywhere – HOA’s, front yards, backyards, business, etc,” Lanfranco said in an April 15 release.
The suggestion is not unprecedented given Brown’s already ordered “emergency” drought measures that include government funded lawn replacement.
On April 1, 2015, Governor Brown instituted a statewide water reduction mandate upon California’s residents. The executive order detailed the 25% reduction requirement for potable urban water usage as measured against 2013 usage levels. The mandate is set to extend through February 28, 2016.
A portion of the April 1 mandate has already dictated replacement of 50 million square feet of lawns with drought tolerant landscapes. The Department of Water Resources is afforded leeway to provide government funded financial incentives for residents to comply with the mandate.
Further, the Water Board was ordered to direct urban water suppliers to develop financial disincentives including penalties to water usage.
Leading up to the mandate, Breitbart reported, Brown had announced $1 billion in drought relief funds. The State Water Board joined in with new water limits including restrictions on watering lawns just two weeks prior to the mandate.
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