this post was submitted on 07 Apr 2026
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No Lawns

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Historic native plant ordinance adopted in Encinitas, CA, USA (thecoastnews.com)
submitted 18 hours ago by livligkinkajou@slrpnk.net to c/nolawns@slrpnk.net
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Under a first-of-its-kind municipal ordinance, developers will be required to use plant species native to the region in future landscape plans for public and private projects in Encinitas. [...]

Mayor Bruce Ehlers said codifying the ordinance places it on the same footing as other design requirements, including fire safety. He added that it does not add new steps to the process but formalizes how native plants are addressed in projects that already require a landscape plan.

“I’m a native plant nerd and I’m amazed at the number of residents in Encinitas that are into native plants,” Ehlers said. [...]

“Native plants are not only beautiful, they are the foundation of all native wildlife,” Klopp said. “They sustain our native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators whom the city has previously committed to protecting through the Bee City USA program. They protect our lagoons by reducing runoff and eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers. And once established, they use a fraction of the water of conventional ornamental landscapes.”

City Council Ordinance No. 2026-07 unanimously approved the ordinance 5-0 with two recommended modifications:

https://www.encinitasca.gov/government/departments/development-services/policy-planning-housing/policy-planning/native-plant-ordinance

Does anyone know what were those recommendations? I couldn't easily find it, nor do i want to watch a 5h city council meeting

Besides, does anyone know any other city with similar initiatives?

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[–] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 3 points 16 hours ago

This is gonna be controversial but I think trees should be exempt from this type of ordinance, at least in CA. We don't have enough tree diversity to maintain a healthy urban forest in the face of climate change and the tidal wave of exotic pests and diseases that have been introduced and will be introduced.

There is a great variety of native plants at the shrub size and smaller but most CA cities only have a small handful of native trees.

Maybe if we defined native as western North America or something that could be more viable.