1. County of Santa Clara
Board of Supervisors
Supervisorial District Four
Supervisor Ken Yeager
Boardof Supervisors: Mike Wasserman, Cindy Chavez, Dave Cortese, Ken Yeager, S. Joseph Simitian Page 1 of6
County Executive: Jeffrey V. Smith
DATE: April 7, 2015
TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Ken Yeager, Supervisor and Dave Cortese, Supervisor
SUBJECT:Referral regarding Lawn Conversion Policy
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Refer to Administration a request to create a lawn conversion policy that identifies additional
opportunities to convert water-intensive, decorative landscapes on County-owned property to
landscaping that use less potable water and explore a ten-year moratorium on installing new
water-intensive landscaping on County-owned land. (Yeager & Cortese)
REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION
California is facing a historic water crisis the likes of which we have not seen before. Water
conservation is a key componentin minimizing the negative impacts of the current drought,
and the County can play its part to conserve water. One of the ways we can save water is
ensuring that the landscaping at our County facilities uses water efficiently and judiciously.
In terms of landscaping, maintaining green grass lawns requires a great deal of water, much
more so than other types of landscaping that utilize drought-tolerant or native plants (also
known as xeriscaping).
There are numerous green grass lawns on County-owned land that appear to receive regular
maintenance:
1. In front of San Jose’s Old City Hall on North First Street
2. By the County government buildings between the sidewalk and the parking lot along
North First Street at CharcotAvenue
3. In front of the Sheriff’s Administration building on North First Street and Younger
Avenue
4. On the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center campus off South Bascom Avenue

2. Boardof Supervisors: Mike Wasserman, Cindy Chavez, Dave Cortese, Ken Yeager, S. Joseph Simitian Page 2 of6
County Executive: Jeffrey V. Smith
AgendaDate: _______
5. In front of the County buildings on Berger Drive
6. Outside the main entrance of Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas
This referral would have staff look at converting additional green grass lawns that are for
decorative purposes (not recreational ones) on County-owned property to landscaping that
requires much less water. It calls for Santa Clara County to pursue opportunities, especially
those eligible to receive grants or loans from the state government or local water districts, to
fund landscape conversions. Part of this process could occurthrough capital projects. This
referral also recommends that the County consider projects that collaborate with the Santa
Clara Valley Water District, the California Conservation Corps or a certified community
conservation corps if it improves the County’s chance of receiving state funding.
Finally, it calls on the County to refrain, for a ten-year period, from installing any new
landscaping on a County-owned facility that is water-intensive, including, but not limited to:
 grass lawns that are heavily reliant on water, including along County roads
 decorative fountains that use water
This referral asks County staff to come back to the Board with any potential exceptions to
this moratorium, including landscaping that is entirely composedoflow-water plants that
qualify for the Santa Clara Valley Water District Landscape Rebate program.1
BACKGROUND
Santa Clara County
Here in Santa Clara County, the County government and the Santa Clara Valley Water
District have worked on parallel and connected tracks for the last several years on water
conservation and reduction measures. Below is a sample of some of the measures that have
been undertaken.
1. In 2013, Santa Clara County received a Silicon Valley Water Conservation Award in
the Government Agency Category from a coalition of environmental groups, advocacy
organizations and government agencies for saving 50 million gallons of water annually
and recycling another 10 million gallons per year.2 The efforts the County undertook
for which it was recognized included:
a. Converting nine acres of urban landscape at County facilities and parks from
lawn to drought-tolerant plants.
b. Utilizing recycled water at several County locations for landscape irrigation and
at one location for cooling.
c. Installing low-flow shower heads at County detention centers and low-flow
aerators and pre-rinse spray valves at several County facilities.
d. Implementing a Green Building Policy that encourages retrofits, remodels,
1http://www.valleywater.org/uploadedFiles/Programs/WaterConservation/Landscaping/PLANT%20LIST%20WITH%20COVER2
013.pdf
2 http://www.waterawards.org/awardees?id=16 and http://www.waterawards.org/index.php/coalition-members

3. Boardof Supervisors: Mike Wasserman, Cindy Chavez, Dave Cortese, Ken Yeager, S. Joseph Simitian Page 3 of6
County Executive: Jeffrey V. Smith
AgendaDate: _______
renovations, and new buildings to be designed as energy and water efficient as
possible.
2. The Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) has been offering rebates for some
time to residents who convert their lawns into native plants.3
3. The County’s Green Business Program encourages the public, nonprofit and private
sectors to strive for water efficiency through its certification process.
4. In responseto a proposalfrom Supervisor Cortese, the Board of Supervisors voted 5-0
on August 26, 2014, to set a goal of having all County departments cut water use by 25
percent.4 More than half of the County’s water savings last year
were from the Parks Department, which it achieved through reduced irrigation
schedules and other water efficiency strategies. Last year, the Santa Clara Valley
Medical Center converted an acre of turf to drought tolerant landscaping and
upgraded multiple irrigation controllers.5
5. In May 2014, the Board of Supervisors also adopted a separate resolution urging all
residents and businesses to voluntarily reduce water use by 20%. The County also
partnered with the SCVWD to inform residents through tax bill inserts and social
media messaging of the importance of conserving water.
6. More recently, the Board adopted an ordinance establishing permanent mandatory
conservation for residents in unincorporated areas of the County. Later this month, The
Board will consider a similar measure for businesses.
7. In 2015, the County is receiving another Silicon Valley Water Conservation Award,
this time for Greenscape Management.6 Those efforts include:
a. At the Elmwood Correctional Complex in Milpitas, the Facilities and Fleet
Department, Integrated Pest Management and the Department of Correction’s
Weekend Work Program partnered to convert four acres of turf to drought-
tolerant landscaping.
b. Meanwhile, the Sustainability in Jails program at Elmwood launched a special
curriculum that introduces inmates to the water cycle, soil health, composting,
drought tolerant landscaping, and water-efficient irrigation systems, allowing
those convicted of crimes to develop sustainable landscaping job skills.
c. At Juvenile Hall in San Jose, Facilities and Fleet staff converted 13,000 square
feet of underutilized turf to a landscaped recreational area with picnic tables,
drought-tolerant and native plants and drip irrigation. Permeable pathways were
also laid down to recharge groundwater and reduce storm water runoff.
d. The County’s sustainable landscaping programs have saved 33 million gallons
3 http://www.valleywater.org/programs/landscaperebateprogram.aspx
4http://sccgov.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?Frame=SplitView&MeetingID=5009&MediaPosition=2821.684&ID=730
98&CssClass
5http://sccgov.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?Frame=SplitView&MeetingID=6146&MediaPosition=2124.000&ID=753
40&CssClass
6 http://www.sccgov.org/sites/opa/nr/Pages/County-of-Santa-Clara-Receives-Award-for-Greenscape-Management.aspx

4. Boardof Supervisors: Mike Wasserman, Cindy Chavez, Dave Cortese, Ken Yeager, S. Joseph Simitian Page 4 of6
County Executive: Jeffrey V. Smith
AgendaDate: _______
of water between 2013 and 2014. In addition, the County has increased its use of
recycled water for irrigation and cooling purposes by40% since 2009,
conserving 13.5 million gallons of potable water last year.
8. On Thursday, April 2, 2015, with the authorization of the County’s Facilities and Fleet
and Roads and Airports Departments, the nonprofit organization San Jose
Conservation Corps (SJCC)began work on converting the landscape in front of the
maintenance office of the Roads and Airports Department at 1505 Schallenberger
Road in San Jose from a grass lawn to more drought-resistant, native plants using a
ten-person crew composed ofmembers of its Corps ages 17.5 to 27.
The SJCC provides at-risk, disadvantaged, young men and women mostly from communities
of color with job skill training and environmental education through public service and
conservation work. It is certified as a “community conservation corps”by the California
Conservation Corps. In addition to its contracts with the County’s Facility and Fleet
Department and the Roads and Airports Department, SJCC has a contract with the Parks and
Recreation Department.
Last summer, the Facilities and Fleet Department brought to the Board for approval a five-
year contract with the San JoseConservation Corps forlandscape maintenance. The Board
approved the agreement on a 5-0 vote.7 The contract called for Corps members to perform
tasks such as weed abatement, erosion control, litter clean-up, landscaping, vegetation
management, removal of non-hazardous homeless encampment debris or illegal dumping,
and site beautification services.8 In its explanation for why it was recommending this
contract, the Facilities and Fleet Department wrote, “Furthering the unique role SJCC plays
in our community while providing a cost-effective resource for the Department and the
County enables County gardening staff to accomplish more and focus on skilled gardening
work rather than weed abatement, litter clean-up, vegetation management, removal of non-
hazardous homeless encampment debris or illegal dumping.” The SJCC has also assisted the
County with weed abatement and major landscape clean-ups at the San Jose Downtown
Health Center and other County sites.9
State of California
On April 1, Governor Brown announced that the state will begin implementing mandatory
water reductions.10 In his remarks, he reflected on what may emerge as the new normal in
our state: “The idea of your nice little green grass getting lots of water every day, that's going
to be a thing of the past. We're not going to change everything overnight but we are in a
transition period. People have to realize that in many parts of California, they are living in a
desert." 11
7 http://sccgov.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=12&ID=4847&Inline=True
8 http://sccgov.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=4&ID=129309
9http://sccgov.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?Frame=SplitView&MeetingID=5009&MediaPosition=&ID=73028&CssC
lass
10 http://gov.ca.gov/news.php?id=18910
11 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-governor-issues-unprecedented-statewide-water-restrictions/

5. Boardof Supervisors: Mike Wasserman, Cindy Chavez, Dave Cortese, Ken Yeager, S. Joseph Simitian Page 5 of6
County Executive: Jeffrey V. Smith
AgendaDate: _______
Part of the effort Governor Brown called for this month will involve local governments
working to replace 50 million square feet of lawns with drought tolerant landscaping.
Meanwhile, in the November 2014 election, California’s voters passed Proposition1, which
authorizes the issuance of millions of dollars of general obligation bonds towards water
quality, water supply, water security, water conservation and water efficiency. A portion of
that act authorizes the use of $100 million for direct expenditures, and for grants and loans,
for certain water conservation and water use efficiency plans, projects, and programs.12
Last month, the California legislature also acted, passing a water-focused bill, Assembly Bill
92. One of the provisions of this bill dictates that agencies receiving money for restoration,
ecosystemprotection projects, or other similar work are required to use the services of the
California Conservation Corps ora certified community conservation corps.13 Involving our
local San JoseConservation Corps could help County water conservation projects receive
priority funding.
Nationally
In the United States, the operation of buildings, including landscaping, accounts for
approximately 47 billion gallons of water per day - 12% of total water use.14 Compared to
traditional grass lawns, native gardens using drought-resistant plants can provide the
following benefits:
1. Use less water by reducing irrigation costs oroverwatering
2. Enhance water quality by cutting down on the need for pesticides or fertilizers
3. Produceless green waste that may need to be collected by waste haulers and thus could
end up in landfills
4. Save energy by reducing the costof cooling buildings adjacent to the landscape
5. Reduce gas emissions and thus improve air quality by reducing the need for gas-
powered lawn mowers
6. Decrease noise pollution from these mowers, leaf blowers and weed trimmers
7. Attract native species, thereby encouraging biodiversity
8. Require fewer hours of labor to maintain
9. Costless money to maintain
The EPA cites an estimate that up to 50 percent of landscape water use goes to waste because
of evaporation, wind, or runoff caused by overwatering. The EPA and other sources find that
converting to a water smart landscape through careful plant selection and design can reduce
outdoorwater use up to 50 percent.15
12 http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB92
13 http://vig.cdn.sos.ca.gov/2014/general/en/pdf/text-of-proposed-law-prop1.pdf
14 http://www.usgbc.org/articles/green-building-101-how-does-water-efficiency-impact-building
15 http://www.epa.gov/watersense/docs/ws_grassgreener508.pdf and http://www.amwua.org/resource_documents/turf_removal-
english.pdf

6. Boardof Supervisors: Mike Wasserman, Cindy Chavez, Dave Cortese, Ken Yeager, S. Joseph Simitian Page 6 of6
County Executive: Jeffrey V. Smith
AgendaDate: _______
In fact, a nine-year study in Santa Monica found even greater water savings from native
gardens as opposedto grass lawns. In comparing two gardens of a similar size of 1,900
square feet, the City of Santa Monica, Santa Monica College and the Metropolitan Water
District of Southern California found that, on average, the native garden used 83% less water;
generated 56% less green waste and required 68% less maintenance than the “traditional”
grass landscape.16
As California’s climate changes and the drought continues, our state’s natural environment
may begin to take on more characteristics of a desert environment. And the warmer the
climate, the more water savings that result from landscape conversion.17 Studies from the
Southern Nevada Water Authority show that the average annual household water and
maintenance costs decreased by more than one-third for participants in its Landscape Rebate
program.18 The City of Mesa, Arizona, concludes that homes converting to a native garden
from a grass lawn in Mesa costs $1.50 to $2.50 per square foot. However, once the higher
costof all the ongoing materials need for maintenance of lawns is factored in, there is a 36-
cent per square footsavings each year. Excluding time or labor, Mesa homeowners can
expect to pay off the costof conversion in four to seven years.19
While grass can lower a Mesa home's summer cooling requirements up to 4%, that reduction
can leap up to 24% by adding shrubs that grow taller than grass and can shade the building
beside it.20
While the crisis at hand is compelling, this referral is also directed toward a lasting change in
County policies on water conservation for the benefit of the County’s residents, businesses,
and environment for years to come.
16 http://www.smgov.net/uploadedFiles/Departments/OSE/Categories/Landscape/garden-garden-2013.pdf
17 https://www.dropbox.com/s/zzwgortcj3qnttv/Turf%20Removal%20%26%20Replacement%20-
%20Lessons%20Learned.pdf?dl=0, p. 5.
18 http://www.snwa.com/rebates/wsl_faq.html#costs
19 http://www.mesaaz.gov/residents/conservation/residential-grass-to-xeriscape-rebate/top-10-reasons-to-convert-to-xeriscape
20 http://www.mesaaz.gov/residents/conservation/residential-grass-to-xeriscape-rebate/faqs