Residents uniting against City Hall
Lolita Harper
Residents who began unrelated battles with City Hall because of
new laws they felt threatened their personal lives are becoming
philosophical allies in their fight to keep local government from
becoming too intrusive.
Most notably, members of the Costa Mesa RV Owners Assn. -- the
group that crusaded against more stringent parking regulations for
motor homes -- have voiced support for the Costa Mesa Cruisers, who
will face the council next month to ask that inoperable cars be
allowed in their own backyards.
Dave Goss, president of Costa Mesa RV Owners Assn., said he is
planning to support the Cruisers at the Aug. 5 City Council meeting,
not only because he champions the hobby of fixing up classic cars but
because he is concerned about general civil liberties and property
rights.
Costa Mesa Cruiser President Mitch Barrie said he, Goss and
numerous other residents have come together informally to rally
against what he calls the “Irvine-ization” of Costa Mesa.
“This is about much more than the car thing or an RV thing. Those
are just indicators,” Barrie said. “It is not so much a movement to
defend our hobbies but saying to the city, ‘Hey, what goes on in my
backyard is my business.’”
Before the summer of 2000, city codes allowed residents to store
cars that didn’t run on a driveway leading to a garage -- provided it
was covered with an acceptable cover -- or in a yard area that was
screened by a 6-foot-high wall or fence, a staff report states.
New codes passed in 2000 banned those options and made it legal to
store an inoperable vehicle only in a garage or another enclosed
building. City code enforcement officials have said the law also
applies to backyards, if the car can be seen from a second-story
window and is the subject of a complaint.
Councilman Gary Monahan, who has a paved section of his side yard
shielded by a fence where he used to house a couple of race cars, has
asked that the rules be reconsidered.
Monahan said the city is headed down a slippery slope and decided
to continue his political career to help stop the descent.
“It seems like the regulations have really kind of accelerated
faster than we would expect,” Monahan said. “I think we need to take
a break and see where we are. The personality of Costa Mesa is in
danger of falling apart if too many restrictions are put in place.”
Barrie agreed with the councilman, saying most Costa Mesa
residents are here because of the diversity, the variety and the
city’s “live and let live” attitude. For the same price, people could
buy much larger houses in South County but they don’t because the
city has its own spirit that makes it a great place to live, Barrie
said.
“Costa Mesa is traditionally a hands-off type of place,” Barrie
said. “It is a wonderful little California town surrounded on all
sides by Orange County. This city traditionally allows people to live
their life the way they want, and with that you run the risk that
your neighbor might paint his house purple.”
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