City, Doane strike a deal

City work crews recently came out and planted three trees on the barren parkway in front of Costa Mesa resident Kevin Doane’s house. This ordinarily would not be a big event — the city does it all the time — but in the past few months the out-of-work contractor has thrust himself into the public spotlight as “that guy with the dirt lawn.”

In the past few weeks he has even told his story to television news crews from big networks and has been blogged about from Los Angeles to San Diego.

Doane first appeared at City Hall late last year and notified the council that to save water and money he had stopped watering his front yard and killed the remaining grass with poison. The gesture earned him a slew of warnings and citations from the city [homeowners are required to adequately landscape their yards]. He refused to pay them, saying he was merely following the suggestion of then-Councilwoman Wendy Leece, who encouraged residents to save water.

Faced with a potential lien on his house, though, Doane agreed to pay $400 in fines to get his day in court.

The result: City Prosecutor Jamaar Boyd-Weatherby struck a deal with him wherein he agreed to replant his grass within 60 days. When Doane finally finishes the task he will be given back $400, according to building official Khanh Nguyen, but he will still have to pay an older $175 fine related to the same incident.

“That’s his incentive to plant his lawn — getting his $400 back,” Nguyen said.

Doane is still steaming about the $175 fine and thinks he has been mistreated by city staff members. He said he plans to get his front yard adequately planted within the 60-day limit, but gave a sarcastic and biting speech at Tuesday night’s council meeting, criticizing some city executives.

“You think you’re going to fight City Hall? Fine. You think you’re going to win? That’s another story,” Doane said Thursday afternoon.

His response has left many in City Hall baffled. Several officials in different departments have said they have done everything within their power to accommodate Doane, but that he continues to lash out against them.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.