Fact check: Trump falsely claims Beverly Hills restricts residents’ tooth-brushing and showering

Washington CNN —

Former President Donald Trump makes up stories about a dizzying variety of topics. One of the oddest subjects of his fiction is household water rules in the wealthy Los Angeles-area city of Beverly Hills, where he used to own a home.

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, Trump claimed, “They’re notifying people in Beverly Hills, you can only use 40 gallons of water. They don’t have water,” he said. After criticizing how the state of California manages its water, he continued, “And it’s true: in Beverly Hills, you pay a fortune in taxes, they say you can only brush your teeth once a day.”

This was only the latest colorful Trump tale about supposed water restrictions in Beverly Hills. At California’s Republican convention in September, he said, “Rich people in Beverly Hills – we don’t feel so sorry for ’em, but I do, actually.
They pay millions of dollars in taxes, they’re taking a shower, they’re told to hurry up, you’re only allowed a small amount of water when they take a shower. That’s why rich people from Beverly Hills, generally speaking, don’t smell so good.”

That last sentence seemed like a joke, and the audience laughed. But he delivered the part about supposed Beverly Hills water rules as if he was describing a real policy.

Facts First: All of Trump’s claims are wrong. Beverly Hills does not have any limits on residents’ indoor water use; it does not restrict how many gallons of water they can use, how many times a day they can brush their teeth or how long they can spend in the shower.

Beverly Hills only limits residents’ outdoor watering, keeping it to a maximum of two days a week among other rules. The outdoor limits are part of a statewide effort to