The new landscaping at City Hall has been installed. The city received a rebate from East Bay Municipal Utility District to convert the water-intensive grass lawn that used to surround City Hall to drought-tolerant landscaping that will thrive in California’s summer-dry climate and during a drought. The landscaping was installed by the city’s Public Works Department.

In her monthly address to the city, Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft said more than half the plantings are California natives, and any non-native plants are drought tolerant Mediterranean varieties selected to thrive in this climate (“Mayor on Mental Health Hotline, City Hall Landscaping and COVID-19 Update,” July 28; https://alamedasun.com/news/mayor-mental-health-hotline-city-hall-landsc...).

“We’ve also included flowering pollinator plants to attract birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects,” wrote Ashcraft. “We’ve also included flowering pollinator plants to attract birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects.”

The city announced the new landscaping project in June (“City Hall Becoming Drought Tolerant,” June 9; https://alamedasun.com/news/city-hall-becoming-drought-tolerant). California had the driest January to March on record and a Stage 2 drought was in place for the region, which mandates a 10% reduction in water use across the East Bay.

The project was designed and constructed in accordance with Bay Friendly landscape guidelines, according to Ashcraft.