GLENDALE GOES AFTER FENCES; RESIDENTS BEING CITED UNDER OBSCURE STATUTE.Byline: Eric Wahlgren Daily News Staff Writer That longstanding symbol of Americana, the white picket fence - or almost any other front-yard barrier, for that matter - is illegal in Glendale. A city law banning fences taller than 1-1/2 feet has been in effect since 1922. But now, after years of slack enforcement, inspectors are cracking down. In recent weeks, they've cited eight residents for having too-tall fences. The move has ticked off residents in Glendale's La Crescenta district, where the idea of a fenceless society is not going over very well. ``The fence is mine,'' said one resident who asked not to be identified, as he gestured to his brown, corral-style front-yard barrier. ``The city of Glendale doesn't own it.'' Up the street, Shawna Smith said the cyclone cyclone, atmospheric pressure distribution in which there is a low central pressure relative to the surrounding pressure. The resulting pressure gradient, combined with the Coriolis effect, causes air to circulate about the core of lowest pressure in a barrier that wraps around her front yard is a lifesaver. It keeps her children Jacob, 3, and Amelia, 2, from wandering into traffic on busy Pennsylvania Avenue Pennsylvania Avenue is a street in Washington, D.C. joining the White House and the United States Capitol. Called "America's Main Street," it is the location of official parades and processions, as well as protest marches and civilian protests. . ``To take the fence down is to put the safety of my kids at great risk,'' said Smith, a 27-year-old single mom. ``All I have is the front yard. I can no longer allow them to play out there without being there every single minute.'' City officials said Smith can apply for a variance that might allow her to keep her fence because she lives on a heavily traveled street. But Mayor Larry Zarian Larry Zarian (b.1937) was the first Armenian-American to serve on the city council in the City of Glendale, California. He also served as Glendale Mayor. He currently serves on the California Transportation Commission. said the city maintains a zero-tolerance policy Noun 1. zero-tolerance policy - any policy that allows no exception; "a zero-tolerance policy toward pedophile priests" policy - a line of argument rationalizing the course of action of a government; "they debated the policy or impolicy of the proposed legislation" toward front-yard fences because they can lead to higher crime and disturb the beauty of a neighborhood. Without the ordinance A law, statute, or regulation enacted by a Municipal Corporation. An ordinance is a law passed by a municipal government. A municipality, such as a city, town, village, or borough, is a political subdivision of a state within which a municipal corporation has been , there would be fences in all different styles and colors, from pink to yellow to green, he said. ``Everyone does their own thing without paying attention Noun 1. paying attention - paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people); "his attentiveness to her wishes"; "he spends without heed to the consequences" attentiveness, heed, regard to what their neighborhood is like,'' Zarian said. Sgt. Rick Young of the Glendale Police Department said fences give residents a false sense of security. He said crime goes down when fences come down because neighbors tend to look after each other more. ``We have found that neighbors watching out for neighbors is the best security device,'' Young said. ``Keeping fences out is actually a better deterrent than keeping fences in.'' The city of Los Angeles
Sam Engel, Glendale's neighborhood services administrator, said the city has not allowed fences taller than 18 inches since the law was passed 75 years ago. But a revision of the city's codes several years ago erroneously er·ro·ne·ous adj. Containing or derived from error; mistaken: erroneous conclusions. [Middle English, from Latin err omitted the ban against existing fences. Then last year, the city reinstated the ban, explaining why in recent weeks inspectors have cited residents for having fences that are too tall, Engel said. He said city inspectors aren't planning an all-out fence offensive, but merely plan to cite violators when they notice the illegal barriers. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--Color) Glendale resident Shawna Smith plays with her two young children in the fenced-in front yard of their La Crescenta home. (2) Shawna Smith, with daughter Amelia and son Jacob, says she needs the fence in Verb 1. fence in - enclose with a fence; "we fenced in our yard" fence inclose, shut in, close in, enclose - surround completely; "Darkness enclosed him"; "They closed in the porch with a fence" 2. front of her Glendale home to keep her children safe. Hans Gutknecht/Daily News |
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