Brentwood Residents Recoil Over Barbed Wire Fence

A three-quarter-mile stretch of chain-link an barbed wire fence in the tony neighborhood of Brentwood, California has residents up in arms, reports Nicole LaPorte in The Ankler.

The fence is located along the property line of the Brentwood Country Club, which says it is part of a renovation and beautification project. “The aggressive new barrier is all the more glaring because trees and vegetation that had shrouded the original fence it replaced have been removed. And whereas it was possible to peek through the older chain-link fence, the new one is sheathed in hideous dark green vinyl, adding to the Keep Out vibe. Worse: The new fence has been extended out toward the street by a few feet, encroaching onto the dirt running path that gives the boulevard a Central Park Reservoir vibe.”

According to Malcolm Gladwell, who did an analysis for his Revisionist History podcast, the country club, which charges upwards of $200,000 per year for membership, only pays around $200,000 a year for property taxes thanks to outdated laws, even though it should pay around $90 million, creating added friction with local residents. 

The debate over the removal of vegetation plays into a larger discussion about fire safety and California’s legislation that would require a five-foot-wide mostly vegetation-free buffer zone around homes in areas with high fire risk.