SAN DIEGO – As California deals with severe drought conditions, Governor Gavin Newsom is calling on local water agencies to do more to conserve water.

As of Friday, new water restrictions are in place for the city of San Diego.

“We are asking a little bit more from our customers to try to do their part and conserve where they can,” said Juan Guerreiro, director of the city’s public utilities department.

The goal is a 20 percent reduction in water usage.

Under the new “Level 2” restrictions, San Diego customers are asked to limit landscape watering to three days a week — before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. That does not apply to commercial growers, nurseries, or golf courses.

Also, no car washes at home. But commercial car washes can still operate. The restrictions also say no irrigation during and within 48 hours of rain.

“Fortunately in the San Diego region, we’ve invested a lot of money to diversify our water supply. So our situation locally isn’t as dire as some of the other areas within the State of California, but our conservation efforts can help other agencies in the state by continuing to secure our water supplies and taking less supplies from the statewide system,” said Guerreiro.

As far as any possible fines or penalties for not following the restrictions, Guerreiro says that’s not the message the city’s tackling right now.

“What we’re doing here is really focusing on educating the public and our customers on the importance of saving water and how to conserve. Restrictions and penalties are not what we’re focusing on at this point,” said Guerreiro.

The new water restrictions also apply to city facilities and properties.

More information about the restrictions, water-saving tips, and rebates is available here.