CRIME CRACKDOWN IN TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA

Where landscapers are not free to roam the streets.

(Thanks to fivver)

Comments

[Not my usual alias]

maybe he can spruce up the joint while he's there, as long as he doesn't want to earn good behavior credits.

[fivver]

You can do it, we can help have you arrested.

[Noob]

Sounds like the gov't just wants a free fence repair and more money out of this guy. A good story to illustrate why you should get Everything in writing. Sheesh.

[Siouxie]

YAY fivver!!

Dang! and I thought the city of Coral Gables was tough.

[a different dave]

This happened in Torrance, China or Torrence, North Korea?... oh California... nevermind.

[CJrun]

Good fences make bad citizens.

[Annie Where-but-here]

I have a neighbor like this - built a two-story fireplace outside, about 8 feet from my backyard. The smoke goes directly into my kid's bedroom.
No permits filed, nothing. He figured he'd build first and risk the backlash later, and it worked.

"At the sentencing, Hamar said his client was a good Christian man who has never committed a crime.." - what the heck does being a 'Christian' have to do with ignoring building code violations for 3 years?

[Siouxie]

Bad bad neighbor, Annie. I say public flogging is in order!! I'll bring my whip!

[Siouxie]

Or we can go with pubic flossing and I'll take the hot wax.

Your call.

[Annie Where-but-here]

Siouxie - you're scaring the boys again.

Cool.

[Layzeeboy]

different dave, that's the People's Republic of California.

[Keilwerth LA]

i'm telling you all, it's nothing but a bunch of crazies out here.

take it from an east coaster...crazies

[Annie Where-but-here]

This is what happens when people pay $2 million for a postage stamp piece of land and live within 15 feet of other people who did the same thing. They get cranky.

[DaveC]

Ah, yes, that's LA LA Land, the home of fruits, flakes and nuts.

[Keilwerth LA]

and breakfast cereals apparrently

[SW]

In LA we don't have neighbors. We have witnesses.

(not original)

[Eleanor]

*zips in*™

What if he were a Jewish man? Or an agnostic man? Would he then not be "good"? Sheesh.

Many years ago a building inspector came by and said he'd looked in the window of the downstairs apartment of my house and saw an old stove that wasn't supposed to be there. It was there when we bought the house. He said he'd be back in a few days to look through the window again, and as long as he couldn't "see" it, no problem. So we moved it. End of story.
Signed,
Good Jewish woman living in CA. ;)

[KOW]

He should drive drunk, high and on the wrong side of the highway. Way less jail time involved since that can only result in the loss of human life.

[SW]

I wonder if he was a pillar of the community.

[Annie Where-but-here]

Perhaps instead he'll be pilloried.

[lilrascal]

And to think Francisco built the same thing his neighbor has. Permits? Studies show the average Los Angeles Contractor don't even have permits. In fact, starting a job and dissappearing is in vogue. Pants? I need pants.

[KCSteve]

Annie,

Be a real shame if your kid somehow got the habit of lobbing blobs of clay into that conveniently near chimney...

[Annie Where-but-here]

Oooh, KCSteve, I like! First good thing outta KC in a long time. ;p

[Noob]

What I don't get is that the gov't told him the fence was his responsibility, then gives him grief for fixing it because it's their fence? Either it's his or theirs. If it's their fence, I think they should reimburse him for the cost of repairs.

But that's just me.

And why do you need a permit to repair a fence that was already there if you aren't making substantial changes to it? Bureaucracy at its best.

[crossgirl]

el, that story was a let down. after the he couldn't "see" it, part, i was hoping you'd gouged his eyes out for peeping in windows.

[Eleanor]

lower case cg, as I was typing it and got to the end I realized it was a 'nothing' story but I went ahead and pushed post because I just wanted to contribute. :)

[sue]

Most of these comments are from persons not living anywhere near Southern California, so I can see where there might be some confusion.

Torrance isn't Los Angeles, hence, it's not called Los Angeles. However, it is in Los Angeles county, which is larger than some states. I hope that clears it up for those of you living in places like, say, Rhode Island.

Background: There was another story in the Breeze of a judge building an elaborate, albeit illegal fence/gate around his home and, coincidentally, on public property. This was in Palos Verdes (also not Los Angeles), but he was a Torrance judge. Of course, both stories are more complicated than stated.

In Torrance (not Los Angeles) you can't build something like, say, a masonry wall on public property w/out a permit because our city likes to prevent poorly built walls from falling on people. We're funny that way.

Ahh. It was 78 degrees today, with a nice breeze, and lots of sunshine. I like my postage stamp.