Very interesting Carry, it seems your California brother & Sisters could indeed learn a thing or 2 about California’s natural plant-life & cycles in other to better manage both their water and yards.
But I suppose this might require an alteration in the cultural stipulation that values very green yards?
Perhaps you should encourage your liberal friends to focus their crusading attention upon that cultural stimulation and instead claim natural yards are beutifull yards?
Beyond that I’m sure as an engineer and naturalist you may be able to come up with alternative systems of plants to adapt to the new conditions demanded by man.
Not necessarily, but it isn't easy to get there because the soils are so screwed up, particularly because of allelopathic hormones from non-native plants stressing the natives.
I had green grass until October with no water at all. There are many hundred degree days here over the summer and our soil is silty sand.