What a sad ending. I used to live in Texas where the houses were all very similar, with mono-culture yards that required constant water, fertilizer, and mowing.

I now live in the Bay Area, Oakland specifically, and something I've really come to appreciate here is the lack of any sort of ordinances like you've run into. In fact, having a green grass lawn is frowned upon for all the environmental reasons you call attention to. I bought a house in the Oakland Hills last year and we're surrounded by large trees, native grasses, ferns, and dozens of native or drought tolerant flora. Few of the yards are fenced in, which allow wildlife like deer, foxes, turkeys, coyotes to roam freely between the houses. The trees support dozens of different species of birds. And while there are tons of spiders too, very few mosquitoes. And this is still in a city! And do I have to water it? Fertilize it? Mow it? No. I have a crew come through once or twice a year to clear out overgrowth (required for wildfire safety) and that's all the maintenance that's required.

I really wish more places in our country would allow native plant life to thrive around our cities, we'd all be better for it.