Five years of relentlessly sunny winter weather took a toll on California. In a move that showed the seriousness of the threat, Brown ordered a statewide 25% cut in urban water use, and Californians came close to meeting it by taking shorter showers, flushing less and accepting it when restaurants did away with the once obligatory glass of water. Cactus took root in frontyards and backyards where lawns once flourished.