For a journalist, making fun of California is a fish-in-a-barrel sort of thing, especially when it comes to water. But this piece from the AP takes the fun an extra mile. Love the picture:

Cookie Smith was surprised to learn the fake lawn that earned her a home-beautification award violated a city ban on artificial grass.

Her neighbor was shocked when he complied with a state order to conserve water and was instead threatened with a $50 fine for letting his grass wither to a brittle brown.