In the midst of a statewide drought, how ironic that last evening in Council Chambers it rained all over a once anticipated celebratory coming-out of a new election concept for Culver City, voting-by-mail.

Whetting their appetite, City Council members addressed The Drought separately.

As for new-fangled voting:

Mainly perhaps because of a U.C. Davis research paper that strongly noted the downside of all-mail voting, a scheme that once held promise among City Council members, tidily splattered onto the sidewalk like an ice cream cone just removed from the oven.

No motion was made and the pancaked talks were shelved until much, much further notice.

Ten community members, largely identified with the Culver City Democratic Club, brought their thumbs to the speaker podium, and unanimously they turned them groundward.

Except for Jim Clarke – father of the idea to bring all-mail voting to a formal discussion – not a single City Council member had even the trace of interest in exploring an idea that has caught on in many communities.

Dry Spell

Meanwhile, regarding the drought, the City Council unanimously approved imposing the middle of three suggested levels of restrictions on community members:

Level 2 Water Restrictions

In addition to the permanent water restrictions of Level 1, the Level 2 Restrictions include:

Watering limited to 2 days/week or 1 day/week from November to March

• Must fix leaks within 48 hours
• No filling or refilling ornamental lakes or ponds unless needed to sustain aquatic life.
• Refilling of more than one foot and initial filling of residential swimming pools or outdoor spas with potable water is prohibited.