Cal. Government Code § 38744

If any water standby charge authorized to be collected pursuant to Section 38743 remains unpaid on the first day of the month before the month in which the board of supervisors of the county in which the city is located is required by law to levy county general taxes, a 6-percent penalty shall accrue upon the amount unpaid. The amount of the unpaid standby charge, plus the penalty, shall constitute a lien upon the land for which the standby charge is unpaid and shall be collected in the same manner and at the same time as that applicable for the collection of unpaid or delinquent county general taxes. The amount of tax attributable to unpaid water standby charges, and the penalty thereon, shall be stated on the county tax bill separately from all other taxes. All laws applicable to the levy, collection and enforcement of municipal ad valorem taxes shall be applicable to the charges appearing on the tax bill, except that if any real property to which such lien would attach has been transferred or conveyed to a bona fide purchaser for value, or if a lien of a bona fide encumbrancer for value has been created and attaches thereon, prior to the date on which the first installment of such taxes would become delinquent, then the lien which would otherwise be imposed by this section shall not attach to such real property and the unpaid water standby charges, and any penalty thereon, relating to such property shall be transferred to the unsecured roll for collection. On or before August 10, the city council shall furnish in writing to the board of supervisors and to the county auditor, respectively, a description of each and every parcel of land within the city upon which a standby charge remains unpaid, together with the amount of the unpaid charge, plus the penalty on each parcel of land.