The City of Dana Point sues a resident who chopped off the tops of seven pine trees in a public park to improve the view from his multimillion-dollar home.
"Unauthorized tree trimmings are common along California's coastline, where homeowners fiercely defend their views and sometimes take extreme steps to safeguard or restore them.A panoramic view can easily add $25,000 to $100,000 to a home's value, real estate brokers say. They add that the value can diminish by that much if a view is blocked.
Reports of residents sneaking around at night with cans of poison to kill their neighbors' trees or calling tree-trimmers to hack offending growth while their neighbors are on vacation prompted several Southland cities to enact ordinances that try to balance the rights of homeowners who have paid a premium for a view against their neighbors' rights to grow trees on their property."
Thanks to Chris Steins
FULL STORY: They Got in His Way, and They Got Whacked

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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