On February 27, 2017, the Santa Monica City Council passed the state’s first-ever water neutrality ordinance. The Santa Monica Net Zero Water Ordinance stipulates that all new development and re-development may not use more water on site than the previous development used. Should development exceed that amount, the project developer must pay a fee that invests in water conservation elsewhere in the city to reach the neutrality goal. UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge leader and associate vice chancellor for environment and sustainability, Mark Gold, and post-doctoral researcher Katie Mika (UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability) worked closely with the city to craft the measure that is in line with the UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge goal of reducing water consumption in L.A. County.