KTLA News: "Mayor Tom Bradley holds press conference on water conservation ordinance" (1978)

[Mayor Tom Bradley] In view of the abundant rainfall we've had in the last several days and the heavy snow in the High Sierras. [No audio] [Bradley] Six months ago, we asked the people of this community to cut back on their use of water by ten percent. They did far better. They've averaged about twenty percent, each month, for that period of time. Once again, they've shown they will respond to a crisis. In light of, the change in circumstances, I think, they deserve to have prompt relief from the ordinance. And I therefore will ask the Department of Water and Power and the City Council, to amend the ordinance, to remove that ten percent, ah, mandatory, reduction of water use, and incidentally a ten percent drought charge which they've also added to the bill. The time has come for us to take a new look at our, mandatory water conservation ordinance. It is necessary that we realize that, ah, this is a rather unusual period of rainfall and that we ought not to, take for granted that we'll have the same thing next year. And so there may come a time when we have to take appropriate steps. But for the moment, it seems to me that we can, ah, quickly, ah, take these actions. I think that we must keep in place the, ah, provisions under phase one of our ordinance which calls for a restriction, on certain uses. The placing of water on the tables in restaurants. I think, that's more than symbolic. I believe that it ought to continue to be prohibited. The use of non recyclable water in fountains ought to be prohibited. The hosing down of sidewalks and other concrete facilities ought to be prohibited. But certainly we ought to take off that mandatory ten percent reduction in the use of water and the drought charge. [Reporter, partially unintelligible] will a time come when you, also lift the, I think that, ah, should we get this kind of rainfall next year, it might be possible that, ah, we could go back to our old habits. But for the moment, I think that we ought to at least keep in mind the conservation ethic. And these provisions, I think, ah, will do that. [Reporters talk over each other, unintelligible] [Bradley] clear change in conditions. Ah, I just felt that it was appropriate that we take a, [camera noise] [No audio]