Code Enforcement:
Tall Shrubs and Loud Leaf Blowers

The following letter was published in the Beverly Hills Courier

Excessively tall residential shrubbery is far more than a nuisance. It can unfairly obliterate neighbors’ views while blocking sunshine and  breezes.

Fortunately, the City of Beverly Hills has an ordinance addressing these  issues. Most importantly, it is effectively enforced by the Building.& Safety Department, assisted when necessary by the Beverly Hills Police Department and the City Attorney.

Municipalities which recognize that fairness and quality-of-life matters are aspects of environmental justice, also know that timely enforcement minimizes neighborhood friction and enhances property values. This is true, not only in single family residential areas, but also throughout the community, where 60% of our citizens reside in multiple dwelling units.

Kudos, too, for the City’s enforcement efforts to require compliance with  its ban on the use of noisy, pollution emitting, dust-dispersing, gas-powered  leaf-blowers. Code-enforcement definitely matters.

Where ever readers reside, they can call their local elected representatives and ask for enforcement, where relevant ordinances are on the books. Where they are not, they can ask that they be enacted and enforced.

Sincerely,

Ellen Stern Harris
Executive Director, Fund for The Environment
Editor of www.BeverlyHillsCitizen.org
P.O. Box 228 / Beverly Hills, CA 90213