California’s latest experiment in faith-based policymaking is being unleashed today on the San Diego public, as regional water-quality officials begin hearings on new regulations that seem crafted to turn most owners of a car, house or dog into criminals within a decade or so. We wish we were exaggerating.
Under the draft rules, ordinary homeowners may face six years in prison and fines of $100,000 a day if they are deemed serial offenders of such new crimes as allowing sprinklers to hit the pavement, washing a car in the driveway, or, conceivably, failing to pick up dog poop promptly from their own backyards, let alone the sidewalk.
Cities throughout San Diego, south Orange and southwest Riverside counties must enforce the law, and set up 24-hour hot lines for people to report violations by their neighbors.
The new regulations even apply to firefighters, who would be forced to somehow capture and scrub the water running down the street from fire hoses and burning buildings, although the bureaucrats promise wiggle room for “emergency situations.” We’re at a loss to imagine the fire that doesn’t present an emergency situation, but we’re sure California’s army of environmental lawyers will be glad to help cities figure that out in court.
The preposterous rules come from the earnest regulators at the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, which is supposed to stop pollution of our waterways and beaches.
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