yes after living in california for a year i learned much of the dilemmas facing the ecosystem. it's also quite exciting because you can grow so much, especially in southern california. it's a truly unique ecosystem and i would love to live there (except for the water issues, which will likely just keep getting worse). i do know of a booming permaculture community in LA teaching people many of these things which is really exciting. see: http://www.permacultureacademy.com/
and yeah native drought landscaping is a HUGE step up!!! any way humans can shift away from the green grass thing is a 100% shift in my book.
like i said, i'm not against turf, i just don't think everyone needs their individual lawns to prove their impeccability and "keep up with the joneses". there are much more creative, purposeful and healthy ways to tend a landscape. thanks and glad to hear you made a shift with eyes open!