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ByChristopherWeber TheAssociatedPress LOS ANGELES Somehome- owners following the state's new drought-conscious motto that brown is the new green are being warned by local governments that they could be slapped with fines because of those dried up lawns. In an attempt to get Cali- fornians to take the drought seriously, the state water board voted this week for mandatory outdoor water- ing restrictions that carry the threat of $500 fines. "Having a dirty car and a brown lawn should be a badge of honor because it shows you care about your community," said Felicia Marcus, the board's chair- woman. Not all communities see it that way. Michael Korte and his wife Laura Whitney re- ceived a letter from the city of Glendora warning them about their brown lawn on the same day the state ap- proved the fines. The let- ter said the couple could be hit with up to $500 in fines and possible criminal ac- tion if they didn't restore their landscaping within 60 days. "Despite the water con- servation efforts, we wish to remind you that limited watering is still required to keep landscaping look- ing healthy and green," read the letter. The couple thought they were being good citizens by reducing outdoor water- ing to twice a week, taking shorter showers and doing laundry less frequently. The state is recommending they go even further by watering lawns twice a month. "My friends in Los Ange- les got these letters warn- ing they could be fined if they water, and I got a let- ter warning that I could be fined for not watering," said Whitney. "I felt like I was in an alternate universe." The governor signed an executive order in April pro- hibiting homeowner associ- ations from punishing res- idents for scaling back on landscaping, and a bill at his desk enshrines that pro- vision into law. While both measures are silent on fines imposed by local govern- ment, the governor's office condemned moves punish- ing drought-conscious Cal- ifornians. "These efforts to con- serve should not be under- mined by the short-sighted actions of a few local juris- dictions, who chose to ig- nore the statewide crisis we face, the farmers and farmworkers losing their livelihoods, the communi- ties facing drinking water shortages and the state's shrinking reservoirs," said Amy Norris, a spokes- woman for CalEPA, in a written statement. Local officials say con- serving water and main- taining healthy land- scaping are not mutu- ally-exclusive goals. They caution that even in times of water shortages residents shouldn't have free rein to drive down property values and can use drought-resis- tant landscaping or turf re- moval programs to meet lo- cal standards. "During a drought or non-drought, residents have the right to maintain their landscaping the way they want to so long as it's aes- thetically pleasing and it's not blighted," said Al Baker, president of the California Association of Code En- forcement Officers. Anaheim resident Sandra Tran, 47, said she started installing drought-resis- tant landscaping after re- ceiving violation notices from Orange County Public Works. She spent more than $600 on the changes as the agency mandated she water and maintain her yard in "a healthy green condition." Yet Tran drives home from work seeing conserve water signs flashing on the freeway. "It's almost crazy be- cause one agency is telling you one thing and another is forcing you to do the op- posite," she said. Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, D-San Bernardino, introduced a bill that would have prohibited local gov- ernments from imposing fees. She dropped AB1636 after cities in her district promised not to penalize homeowners for brown lawns during a drought emergency. Brown was shocked when she heard the practice continued elsewhere in the state, and said she would consider reviving her bill in 2015. "It seems to me those cities aren't using common sense," said Brown. "It's too bad you need a law." CALIFORNIA DROUGHT Homeownerswarned about brown lawns DAMIANDOVARGANES—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Michael Korte walks on his home brown lawn in Glendora on Thursday. The Southern California couple who scaled back watering due to drought received a letter from the city of Glendora warning that they could face fines if they don't get their brown lawn green again. STOCKTON POLICE DEPARTMENT — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A condolence letter written for Misty Holt-Singh, who was married with children, one of the victims of a bank robbery in Stockton on Wednesday. By Scott Smith The Associated Press STOCKTON Misty Holt- Singh had just popped into the bank, leaving her 12-year-old daughter in the car, when the horror began. An hour later, the mother of two lay dead af- ter a bank robbery spun into a chaotic police chase and furious gunbattle in which two holdup men were also killed. Holt-Singh was shot to death as one of the robbers who took her hostage used her as a shield against po- lice gunfire, authorities said. Whose bullets killed Holt-Singh is unclear, but police said the ulti- mate responsibility rests with the three bank rob- bers, who authorities said weren't just after cash — they wanted to kill people. "In my over two decades of law enforcement, I have never seen or experienced this type of total disre- gard for human life nor the intensity of the situa- tion that our officers were faced with," Stockton Po- lice Chief Eric Jones said Thursday. "It is very rare for bank robbers to take hostages. It is very rare for them to so heavily arm themselves and prepare to kill and then to actively and con- tinually to try to kill our police officers." Police and FBI agents were sorting through hun- dreds of bullet holes in 14 police cars, an armored ve- hicle, citizens' cars, homes and businesses — the litter left behind by the drama Wednesday that began when the gunmen held up a Bank of the West branch in Stockton and took Holt-Singh and two other women hostage as they made their getaway. It ended in a hail of gun- fire after police shot out the tires of the getaway vehicle. During the hour-long chase through this city about 80 miles east of San Francisco, two of the hostages, both bank em- ployees, jumped or were thrown from the stolen SUV, one of them while it may have been going more than 50 mph. At least one suffered a gunshot wound. Both were expected to sur- vive. The only surviving sus- pect was identified Thurs- day as Jaime Ramos, 19, of Stockton, who wasn't injured. Police said the other robbers, ages 27 and 30, were gang members, also from Stockton. Police said that they recovered at least three handguns and an assault rifle and that the gunmen had ammunition strapped to their bodies. "The firing never stopped," Jones said. "They were trying to kill (the offi- cers), no doubt." The police chief said 20 officers who fired their weapons were put on ad- ministrative leave pend- ing an investigation — standard procedure after a shooting. He said he be- lieves the officers acted ap- propriately. The bank branch was locked and empty Thurs- day. A note in the win- dow said the closing was temporary and due to an emergency. Another note said the branch was set to close for good on Fri- day and move to another location. Somebody had placed two bundles of flowers outside the front door with a handwritten note to "Misty." "Today you were so brave. You died in a haze of bullets, on a lovely afternoon," the un- signed note said. "We all will look after Paul and the kids. You will be sadly missed." Bank customer among 3 dead in holdup and shootout STOCKTON By Nicholas K. Geranios The Associated Press SPOKANE, WASH. A fast- growing cluster of wild- fires scorching north-cen- tral Washington state's sce- nic Methow Valley burned at least two homes Thurs- day, authorities said. The Carlton Complex of fires covers 28 square miles of the valley near the town of Twisp, and is being pushed by high tempera- tures and strong winds. Fire spokesman Jacob McCann also said there have been unconfirmed reports that eight other homes have burned in the four blazes that make up the complex and noted that "we have extreme fire be- havior and rapid growth." The fires have prompted the closure of Highway 20 at Loup Loup Pass, he said. Meanwhile, another wildfire about 100 miles south chased people from nearly 900 homes as it burned near the Bavarian- themed village of Leaven- worth. The Chiwaukum Creek Fire sent a light dusting of ash over Leavenworth, where the German-style motif provides a backdrop to Oktoberfest and a Christ- mas tree lighting festival. The fire's smoke plume rose 25,000 feet into the air. The blaze closed 35 miles of U.S. Highway 2, stretching from Leavenworth to Ste- vens Pass in the Cascade Mountains. "There's a huge cloud of smoke above us," Don Hurst, a retired firefighter who lives just outside of Leavenworth, said Thurs- day morning. "The winds started to pick up a little. It's just like snowfall here with the ash coming down. It's fine ash. We're getting all this ash fall." Residents of 860 homes have been told they should leave immediately, fire of- ficials said. Another 800 homes were less seriously threatened. Authorities said Thurs- day morning that the Chi- waukum Creek Fire has grown to more than 10 square miles. It was first detected Tuesday. "The weather and winds are not in our favor," said fire spokeswoman Mary Bean. She said tempera- tures were expected to top 100 degrees with winds gusting to 30 mph in the area Thursday. She said the cause of the fire is under investigation. About 1,000 firefighters were fighting blazes around the state that included the Mills Canyon Fire, the state's largest at 35 square miles. In California, evacuation orders have been called off for several rural homes in Northern California as fire- fighters took advantage of cool, moist conditions. Some residents near the destructive fire in Shasta County have been advised they may need to evacuate again. The blaze has burned more than 10,000 acres, or nearly 17 square miles. Mar- ijuana-growing activity led to the fire starting Friday, authorities have said. WEST Fa st -g ro wi ng W as hi ng to n st at e wi ld fir e bu rn s tw o hom es FARMBUILDINGS•ARENAS BULK STORAGE WAREHOUSES • OFFICES SELF STORAGE RV STORAGE AIRCRAFT HANGARS PROCESSING FACILITIES COMPLETE CONCRETE AND BUILDING SERVICE License #812173 #30SevilleCt. 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