State water board goes easiest on Monterey Peninsula, hardest on Salinas/South County, with mandatory cutbacks.

In justice parlance, the punishment should fit the crime. Except in this case, the reasoning goes, the water cutback should fit the consumption.

The State Water Resources Control Board is ordering water districts across California to cut back their water use by 8-36 percent from 2013 levels, based on their per-capita residential water use last summer. The communities that used less water last summer don't have to cut back quite as much as those that used more.

The water board first set those tiered cutback levels April 8, then revised them in response to complaints April 18.

The current cutback targets in Monterey County, from highest to lowest:

Alco Water Service (Salinas). Used 124.2 gallons per person per day from July-September 2014. Mandatory cutback from 2013 levels: 24%.

City of Soledad. Used 116.7 gallons per person per day from July-September 2014. Mandatory cutback from 2013 levels: 24%.

California Water Service Company, Salinas District. Used 86.0 gallons per person per day from July-September 2014. Mandatory cutback from 2013 levels: 16%.

City of Greenfield. Used 83.8 gallons per person per day from July-September 2014. Mandatory cutback from 2013 levels: 16%.

Marina Coast Water District. Used 75.9 gallons per person per day from July-September 2014. Mandatory cutback from 2013 levels: 12%.

California Water Service Company, King City. Used 67.7 gallons per person per day from July-September 2014. Mandatory cutback from 2013 levels: 12%.

California-American Water Company Monterey District. Used 51.3 gallons per person per day from July-September 2014. Mandatory cutback from 2013 levels: 8%.

This L.A. Times infographic shows the mandatory cutbacks in each water district, the populations they serve and other information, statewide.

In response to Brown's April 1 cutback order, some local officials pressured the state water board to cut more slack for communities that have already made strides toward water conservation.

In an April 13 letter to the state water board, Carmel Mayor Jason Burnett suggests a lower cutback target for the Monterey Peninsula. The district ended up getting the state's lowest cutback rate of 8 percent.