California is in the midst of a historic drought, and the city of Beverly Hills is calling on residents to do their part to conserve water.

The Beverly Hills City Council on June 14 approved recommendations from city staff to remain in “Stage C” of the city’s Water Conservation Plan, which calls for a two-day-per-week watering schedule – instead of three – and prohibits the use of potable water for outdoor irrigation between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

“It really is a crisis,” Councilman Robert Wunderlich said, adding that the city must do more to combat the drought.

According to a staff report, the City Council on Feb. 8 declared a drought and began further promoting water conservation efforts. During the last drought in 2013, city officials opted not to relax water conservation efforts, which led to a 20% reduction in water usage.

Wunderlich said the council must adopt the staff recommendations, although he feels that more mandatory cutbacks will be coming. Since 2013, the city’s water conservation efforts have plateaued, he said.

“Longer-term, a water budget really is the only thing that makes sense,” Wunderlich said.

Councilman John Mirisch said the city is seeing a “huge push” for more density from Sacramento, and he questioned whether increased density would help with the state’s water conservation efforts.

Wunderlich said denser housing will conserve more water than “spread-out housing,” as 60% of water usage is used for landscaping outside of homes.

Councilman Lester Friedman agreed with Wunderlich in that more stringent water use restrictions could be coming if the city does not do more to conserve water.

“We really need to get that messaging out,” he added.

Friedman suggested that the city use any public event it hosts to spread the word. He also proposed organizing assemblies at local schools to promote water conservation.

“I think those are things that we can do, and I certainly encourage it,” he said.

Mirisch praised drought-resistant plants and suggested that the city devise a “unique” program to promote residents using them, especially in their front yards.

“Maybe we can do it in a way that is cost-neutral for people,” he said.

Vice Mayor Julian Gold said that, locally, there is only so much that the city can do. He said lawmakers in Sacramento have to rein in water usage in other parts of the state, especially in farming operations in the Central Valley.

“These are huge uses of water,” Gold said.

Mayor Lili Bosse proposed having city staff host town halls in which they could inform residents about the importance of conservation.

“I think it’s way worth our time,” she added.