People visiting parks in San Jose and other cities across California will soon see less grass and more bark as part of an effort to save water. Cities are making the move to the more brown look in order to comply with Assembly Bill 1572, which goes into effect January 1, 2027. “Basically it says cities generally cannot use potable or drinking water to irrigate grass that does not serve a recreational, community or public use function,” said Ed Bautista with San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services. In San Jose, sections of non-functional turf at about 50 city parks will be replaced with tanbark or mulch. ”We’re turning off the irrigation in areas that are on the periphery of parks, that are not really recreation areas that are used for sports or designated picnic areas,” Bautista said.