Fowl feud continues to pollute Newport
June Casagrande
The feathers just keep on flying.
A ban on feeding ducks in the city was supposed to be the final
squawk in the long-running debate on how to handle some foul fowl on
the Grand Canal.
It seemed simple enough: If someone disobeys the new ordinance by
setting out troughs of food and water, the city would first call
attention to the matter, perhaps with a phone call or a visit. If the
problem persists, issue a little written warning. And, if all that
fails, slap down a fine.
End of story?
Nope.
The city is now involved in an unpleasant exchange with a Grand
Canal homeowner whose private pier has been dubbed “Duck Central.”
The city has issued two fines to Grand Canal resident Bunty Justin
totaling $200 for violating the new ordinance. But that’s not all,
folks. The city is also asking to be reimbursed for the $304.45 cost
of cleaning up the duck droppings on the sidewalk near her home.
Justin thinks their logic is less than ducky.
“Feeding the ducks some dry cat food isn’t causing acid rain or
the greenhouse affect [sic],” she wrote in a letter to city
officials, “it’s not causing lethal accidents or contaminating the
water -- we, the people, are doing all that, not the ducks. And not
this old lady who feeds them a handful of dry Friskies a couple of
times a day.”
The city passed the ordinance partly because duck droppings
contribute to bacteria in the water and partly because of complaints
about the smell.
City leaders have tried to get the 82-year-old Justin, who has
steadfastly avoided media inquiries, to see things their way.
“I know that you look upon the waterfowl that you feed as friends,
or possibly as birds that require or want your assistance to
survive,” the city told Justin in a letter signed by Assistant City
Manager Dave Kiff. “But all evidence indicates that the ongoing,
routine feeding of migratory and other waterfowl is harmful to them.”
Justin’s not buying it. She is fighting the fines, and in her
letter she says she will fight them in court. And she wouldn’t be
surprised, she added, if the whole thing ends up on the TV show
“Unsolved Mysteries.”
“I shall try to smile and be charming,” she wrote, “as I throw out
another handful of Friskies for the camera to record.”
* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.
She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at
june.casagrande@latimes.com.
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