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LS 1.25.16 <br />ORDINANCE NO. NS -XXX <br />AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY <br />OF SANTA ANA AMENDING CHAPTER 41 OF THE <br />SANTA ANA MUNICIPAL CODE TO UPDATE THE <br />WATER EFFICIENT LANDSCAPE ORDINANCE <br />THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA DOES ORDAIN AS <br />FOLLOWS: <br />SECTION 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby finds, determines, <br />and declares as follows: <br />A. In 1992, the State of California enacted the Water Conservation in <br />Landscaping Act requiring the adoption of a water efficient landscape <br />ordinance by cities and counties throughout the state. AB 1881, signed in <br />2006, required updates to local ordinances by January 1, 2010. In accordance <br />with state law, the City of Santa Ana updated its ordinance, which was codified <br />in Santa Ana Municipal Code in Chapter 41 Sections 1500 through 1504. <br />B. With the drought conditions at emergency levels, in April 2015 Governor <br />Brown signed an Executive Order (ED B- 29 -15) directing local agencies to <br />update their ordinance to further water conservation and continue with efforts <br />to substantially reduce water usage for residential, commercial and industrial <br />landscape areas. <br />C. Two key components of the Executive Order require: 1) The Department of <br />Water Resources (DWR) to update the original Model Water Efficient <br />Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) of 2009; and 2) cities and counties to update <br />their local Landscape Ordinances, so they are "at least as effective as" DWR's <br />updated Model Ordinance. <br />D. In response to this mandate, a stakeholder group was formed under the <br />leadership of the Municipal Water District (MWDOC) of Orange County earlier <br />this year. The Orange County Model Ordinance and Guidelines were complete <br />in October 2015 and have been reviewed by City staff as well as the City <br />Attorney. The guiding principles of the County Model are local control, <br />consistency among Orange County cities, and promoting the values and <br />benefits of landscapes while recognizing the need for efficient use of water. <br />The proposed zoning code amendment Incorporates the criteria and guidelines <br />of the "regional" Orange County Model Ordinance and Guidelines, and upholds <br />the "at least as effective" threshold in relation to the State MWELO. <br />E. The ordinance applies to landscape projects that require a permit, plan check <br />or development review. New residential, commercial, industrial and public <br />11 B -3 <br />