My neighbors and I received an attention-catching letter this summer about our water rates: Because we’ve done such a great job conserving water in the past year, our water rates are going up. California is experiencing a historic drought, and last year, for the first time in history, Gov. Jerry Brown mandated cities to reduce their water consumption by 25 percent. We all had to do our part by curtailing outdoor use of water, taking shorter showers and letting cars go with less frequent washings.