Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout07 - Tree Removal - Mel Tubbs - 1547 El Modena Avenue (located on 15th Street side of property)n U Agenda Item No. January 7,1997 To: Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission From: General Services Director Subject: Tree Removals at 547 El Modeno Avenue Recommendation To approve the removal of two Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Red Gum) tree at 1547 El Modeno Avenue (trees located on 15th Street side of property). Discussion Staff received a request from Mr. and Mrs. Mel Tubbs (copy attached), the property owner at 547 El Modeno Avenue, requesting that two Eucalyptus trees be removed due to past and future damage to their property. • The Urban Forester completed the attached Tree Inspection Report and identified the trees as a current danger and future liability to the City. Several limbs have fallen during the recent months. The Park and Tree Maintenance Superintendent concurred with the report that recommends that the trees should be removed due to limb failures that have occurred in the past and will continue in the future. The trees cannot be retained due to the significant risk and liability to the City. The adjacent property owner does not want any replacement trees if they are the same species of tree and currently there is no designated replacement street tree for 15th Street. • 3� Mr. and Mrs. Tubbs have received a copy of this report and a notice of the January 7, Commission meeting. Very respectfully, David E. Niederhaus Attachments 173Ff • March 17, 1989 Mel Tubbs 547 E1 Modena Newport Beach, Calif. 92663 Jack Brooks, Supervisor, Parks & Tree Maintenance 3300 Newport Blvd. P.O. Box 1768 Newport Beach, Calif. 92658 -8915 Dear Sir, I'm writing you concerning two large eucalyptus trees located on the city "parkway" abutting our property and only fifteen feet from the side of our home. Several years ago, during a severe wind storm, a major limb broke from one of the trees and fortunately, fell onto 15th street. Since then, with each storm, we have spent restless nights worrying of other limbs breaking and falling the short distance onto our roof or automobile.. Asa precaution we now move our automobiles and stay out of that portion of our home facing 15th street during periods of high winds. Recently, city employees did an excellent job of replacing a considerable dis- tance of street curbing that had been damaged by the roots of these trees. To do the job properly required them to sever several major roots on each tree. ''P'lease see attached photos of the roots that I painted white for visibility purposes. To help ease our fears, the crew advised up the trees would be tested and removed if found to be weakened. Mr. Brooks, with no reflection on your excellant crew, I do not believe a machine can even begin to simulate the wind loads of storms with winds of 50, 60, and even 90 knots, that have been recorded at the local "NOAA" weather station. U We have a real fear these trees now pose a serious risk of toppling in high winds, crushing our home and perhaps injuring our family. To eliminate this risk, and any possibility of city liability, we request your help in removing these trees. To retain the beauty of our tree lined street, we would be willing to purchase and plant another smaller and safer tree. Thank your very much for your assistance. Sincerely, Q A Me E. Tubbs .November 6, 1996 % Mel & Sheila Tubbs 547 El Modena Newport Beach, Ca. 92663 Phone: 642 -6352 John Conway, Urban Forester 3300 Newport Blvd. Newport Beach, Ca. 92658 Re: City Parkway Eucalyptus Trees - 15th St. 8 Dear Mr. Conway, I'm writing this letter concerning property damage caused by the city Eucalyptus trees which are planted in our yard bordering 15th Street. We have lived in our home for 17 years. During those years, the city trees have caused roof damage, to include bent vents, rain gutters and major landscape clean -up to the front and back yard. Our vehicles have had numerous close calls with broken and falling limbs. On our recent Santa Ana wind storm in October, a major limb fell to the . ground just inches away from where I was standing. The limb was too heavy to move. The "near miss" is a real concern for our family's safety. I contacted Mr. Lomeli on October 24th when the major limb fell. I was concerned with the weather reports of strong, continuing Santa Ana winds forecasted for the weekend. Mr. Lomeli and Charles Working with West Coast Arborists, arrived to check our tree damage. Mr. Lomeli indicated it was too windy for major tree trimming, but a crew would respond later that afternoon to trim some of the problem limbs. We have had numerous Tree maintenance crew workers admit that the Eucalyptus trees are not an acceptable parkway tree and require a heavy work load to maintan and trim back. We respectfully request the Eucalyptus trees be removed before we sustain major property damage, or worse, an accident with falling limbs hitting persons below the trees. We have appreciated the work the city employees exhibit trying to maintain these trees and recognize the schedules have been cut back on the major pruining routine. However, we prioritize our family's safety and property security over trees which are no long appropriate as curb -side trees. I have been contacted by several neighbors in our area who are willing to sign a petition for the removal of the trees, as they are also concerned. I look forward to your response and hopefully this problem can be resolved. • Sincerely, r i p, C. Ael P37M — on 4?Vo le7 -97 ike Samuels is what • might be called a at cu- calyptophobe — that is, he fears and hales eucalyptus trees. More specifically, Mike hates the way eucalyptus trees have come to dominate the Orange County tree world. And when ® TREES: A CAPISTRANO FAMIL BATTLES ASSOCIATION OVER QUEEN PALMS. PAGE 2 P DISPUTE: OWNERS SAY IRVI MEADOWS IS SAFE FROM Th WRECKING BALL. PAGE 4 GORDON DILLOW Gu5'� of Gurus$ over the sr%read of eucalyptus r1 L-A —"They re u— � s—t not a real desir- able tree," Mike told me a& we stood outside his condominium in Lake Forest, watching as 40 to 60 mplt gusts whistled through the eucalyptus trees that cover the development. "Yeah, they're popular. But look what happens." I didn't have to look far. Al- ready a 30 -foot eucal �tus had uproote —it an a en on o a car - oar a yards away rom ��� 1CTi1 e s front door, and numer- X151 ous eucal tus branches — M some as thick as your eg — VI�lt were sca ere a over. ear - y, a nuge 60-foof eucs yptus P 6 was whipping in the wind; with each gust its partially exposed roots seemed to tremble with the strain of holding it in the rain - softened ground. Tltat one will be gone by to- morrow," Mike predicted. Mike, 34, knows about "eucs." hr addition to living among them, he's a landscap- ing manager'for a Santa Ana company called Plant Control. And the way lie sees it, eucs are too shallow- rooted anTToo rr e- im e , tey re also lime-ci on�ig and expensive to trim, which means they don't get trimmed as often as they should, thus presenting the wind with a thick, bushy sur- face to push on. And that'puts a lot.of strain on the shallow roots — especially in wet soil. All those things taken togeth- er, Mike says, make the euc a dangerous thing oa-e aroun tin ':t•W171'd5 Throw in the fact that the gummy euc can flare like an m -soa a orc t in a tire, and, Sep :.well, you have to wonder why -there are so many of them in ,Orange County. Eucs originally were brought ,here in the 1850s from Australia ,to be used for railroad ties. Lat- er they were planted around or- cilards as windbreaks — a job :they did well when densely ;planted in natural soil. But the more recent populari- ty of eucs, as Mike and others point out, is because developers loved the cheap, fast-growing trees. After all, a freshly plant- ed 2- year -old euc sapling can be 10 or 12 feet tall, thus giving the property- enhancing appearance of a mature tree. Consequently, they were planted in large numbers in de- velopments'throughout the county, often in soil that had been tightly compacted to com- ply with earthquake regulation,% — too tightly compacted for the roots to penetrate below a thin layer of topsoil. That artificial, shallow rooting has done a lot to matte eucs susceptible to being uprooted by wind, giving them the reputation of an accident waiting to happen. .p� But despite that reputation, eucs do have their ardent de- fenders. "Eucs get blamed for all sorts of things, but it's not the fault of the tree," insists Fuller- ton arborist Alden Kelley, an unabashed eucalyptophile. "The problem is in the way we hu- mans have managed them." He's probably right. And of course a strong enough wind can make any kind of tree a po- tential "widow maker." But MOMMUMMMUa bunch of whipsawing, splintering, dan- gerously leaning eucs on a windy day in Lake Forest was enough to matte a eucalypto- phobe out of me. Gordon Dillow may be reached at (714) 953.7953. Irwi #40A, M44 G 0 M4S FA44 w#T4 40 WsNp N H Eq °"y .py O�" • �NAry TI>.o NtG�ib 41 r y p - N O.� 4i •p >..•JF �. .p >.0 ti's w i p o� °.�> f:4 co m�Ew cu >yv a°oarypa co ca ar alw0F B �'V y«.h E GI ti.'S p. 0 F to N N >•, �' C .'�- C oY NN.°.« ca ryU 'y'r«. N F 0 0 C F ai N... p° tYiw N H 0'��^i N 44 ca cu A u'• td .0 k"i'Or' A W ,'O' ate+ �,' N � � � .-U. '�' � FUi U'a� ;. 02 Y U ?+y d co E co O G O.i�i>'' 0 ca Ny aoUSry c°J�FYhnGy0.R� Nuoi ,,cE LL O p y y� w O F 0.0>:. N N C.� 0 y so. C >.F ,wF,• 0° cu '°FYO•E « ° °F y. Ei y.t3.ry.> ) rF0 co co OO y Ecay, 0 . I7 Y yYttly L RY 4 FW N ' C O c� �3 c ti orya a m ro � 3v m N'Y N 0 d_ ` 01 c >o °o LE Y E ol O c. u a, Ct a 3 c w rn C ro CH al 3� V � s� 3p la Y � y N y C c •3 Y d d' C L O � ry ?r >o o2 co OD y y a y A �+v 5 ow Foy c co y Pi .0 yH D) Npp ry Nvaw GryN �w•�'cy T �O 0 vA'w0 3 o0NNN b {oY N F 0'N�A H C ✓ C E 14 ♦>. ♦•°p vow Ccob NCL OOdvw N 'pY•+ocpyNNq CZ to ti b N ca C N co > bG � 10 Fx y . « o NUN . to bO M N >ry o N C>' C� U co p W(N p 03p'N ° Esy . Cy ° Y 0 O Cca co , .L � ..x o ry °O d) 0 0.0 Z ay o a M0'oyyryy O oan0 ry ry ry.« > O p u p cao E QtE co 15 Q E dry U a� w Uw 0, a wa 'O y p 0 M v �m ` O .- W W cl: V1 (� o O'" p'c3 F c W. o;-, a° mu y-0 0 co v .o 4 o ho .°PZ 0 ca.yE m e e 3 � , � $ oo'o o pry sv 3 m . m co �+'° m L =y�0ry°•• Ca ZcatC +w .D W c F � o E cu CF � Co , � pw� ca p E: C. E «> Fy m o co -tj px i w3�2 o o O w � V ow 20 ° pn . . N a v rp 0 w - ° ° C.L a) y y rp y Y N o n � cu '0 ry pb y w D ca G W A 00� a� y Y � r°w. .c ly oY F'-.4 C °w Z,.0 p,.a g •C y vpEr�o Boti O-S too L' o pUoo�r°. tib E 0 ro c f0 �3 ory Ec a •c Z v C al � C ut C 0 O E C: m c y NG C "y C3 ryo i a t+p h y ci o mm W cuE v w �dpco W � cu o a pw ryao d �� ''�� paw FaE a caEOaww O OU 'aryi, EaEx =ao„ y S z o 0 3 N aw y p xa) vryw'ar7 .rlF W °'p 0 a y cpt bp°cry„ry. .So0 v 3 v o Y000y.00u a � 'E->fy. C rop e ti y . b a C .° 4 � °o to. F a N qnC y o od .6 ro V. m y 0 -oi rn ODU a c Bw�a Co. .0 O • w vOi O. s° mxaC p �00' l fn ° w F U> aw 3 Mcayry 0 . (Va m ,b ry - Vi Y "_' M0 n y N is 5-21 do •� Coo E•ory�'�y'po'nE�aryi'�' ro°JcmF3�ai'°oaWao E�o'� W LU ry Ot ° p No• ->,+F ^w V aNw wF � 'y E O'O H °° 0A cu o� O a Y NO�ryCUy W.'p«ONa+OaN�O�����••••••••••t�tl'`���'. too LJ ` Q1 q,�h C.0 aryim (z 0.0- Ep°pw6 bD�Uyp ) p0.0� OFD BcopW3Fwxo .E°56or w° o� ryo�3m d'�p! > 'd O r v'ttl N O'y 0 �0y =.O O -'7' m o. DD Nti= W UU a Vjyyw �w .b bA '4 ry Y p y'}y+� ry °.E fa �.❑ �^U Lrya '07' .i w •E N O ry bD OG F ..•� rte. y N a a ow • {a U%6 p .po Y N o .'".• .E y o •� N to >� y �.•p•� Ri V l �ry� yobo°o '�on�'y ° m ub�o No 'ca F'pYUE pryw 'aq.p yvi rl �o� B0 0'a � �m Rgo'i NxBooplo EwF Fca°rya� �3� ow$Eyt�v U E. wG 4°, �'r rOiwNF A >tYiw Oyq''O, y (C O� ❑�•a° -�F w a)a3O•dy r'ON'� BryyW O•,gWQpV E,•;a�f)iE • Ehi D�A{71'�OON« Nb'.'ri NY °,v«ep ^Y Epv E•� [yy ° W ^0;5 0000 q E W K.,a uw pa ri aw a cu o m 8p'CU:zM bO 0 p°ryrn w�Y ai. cc 9:k 0 •.ti a)'E .� r O Y N %mo d N �l 1 •'C •� p o5 °p �� b,yti4 °° >OBn pk v �,o, :{ o p ti w p w ,q H .0 o '6n 6 U tic o, oL"•.•;�w�'lzi.',�j.:wrft,. . reatened community. Work extended a 3,500 -Foot -m berm besigned to pro- he town, adding 1,200 feet ay.' s a Q with Mother Na- but right now We're ," said Capt. Mark Bisbee state Department of For- le many of'the 125,000 peo- 'acuated during the flood - nve returned home, thou - remain in Red Cross shel- ncluding 200 people at the ,ion Army's Red Shield r in Modesto. Yosemite National Park, -ring of bad weather was ed by another, stranding Tployees who had hoped to Monday. The park ; has closed since Flooding last trapped 2,200 tourists and yees; the tourists left Fri- aving about 1,500'National Service and concession rs behind. d gusts up to 50'mph top - ees onto Highway 41 in the , closing the one road re- f out of the park. '- Thp'Santa Ana Mountains•usually, shield south 'OrerigeCountyfiomthestrbngest Santa'Anaminds „But the winds blew almost dlredly out of the north Monday, buffeting hl south-count of the tlottheastmore typically it ', + �,�,✓' ••• ' tJ..4if: C1! • 99mph� a w., F Modjeill Cyn, #• "`•4 : s.l. ;Rancho• Parkway dam. Santp i EI Toro • r •Margarita'' 30 mph :45:4ha, "•, I • The National Weather Service 1 saysSanta Ana winds wlll'gust updo 50 mph in local canyons,, , I!%V(J • "67tmph and.10.204nph across the 35 rrip�, h li •' coastal plain. High temperatures ` willreach the mid, 605. Tonight's °lows'will faII16 391n Anaheim andd0'in San Juan Capistrano, Frost is possihle in some foothill communities,, I �9. 1 stron•i� t roil Y s'6i to e j the $pil county o The Orange Couniy Register fr , f f��y 4' F,; ''�{.i,� '.4} •,`� .r r�' rfi ^' <'+••i' ,ir'.G�.r-,:4`•lY,t .rv' °';' }`A r), , 'q"4., '� r`�,e.'t,`.ryly,.�,t�'I t ^i:�j' „vjtla'';4•j,r ' j.r4yl,tyr`, .t” r %Y • "J �' 'I' 1fRr,� •�'<" 1, "i. .«°��M:•.'j!., (�.i�{V A }'f✓ty ti Y ,�' v : "., , L' {i% is +f• i` it ��w'�G•.y � r' „iT,'•r~ek'' •'�`�'�'� '�trsii', �°,•'kYtk' , 1r1't f \xj�f :t`' -'.r`h %% �(.�r:t',• .V ,. i ,tr I yY5 3 4A N ( tl, ,,,ti' `,� ,.��,•:t�o� i `��N',�.i��' �}ilY��l1 j• °� , .'ttl; .ti .. • }` s ' ' ^^ ,''r,� h}� .tie; °` 'I r i., t. •'' _'1 *�,. ,. ..`b?';, .+'l; },� "••, -' - � '1 fir, '�' ,'" �'s'Q''�fi= flyl�i:'it'�' a� • r.:�,� � �.« 1 1i « �, r�r pC' ,LW ��°' j ' - :,,' ,�.. •P,rr'�.r•,, . •i„e••...... - , �;' 'r:ne ` ; `4���� J nlx�,)�",�,t�Yl� -'��� ���� ����� - "''".... ryT . �'Y.ya• w"'q ,�� � � ,4 'tir.x• N�T'�r lA 'j� / �b1J ' ,'�i�•'i�•Ie� ' iy . - -�_n� l•'ii i 4 Jy�yy' ,' 4(({{.�i �� f f A� Y3 �7T(,! ,�rJp ^ k bi �!�a•F••1! +1'I� .I (s ;:. _ •.,• ", , .,� ' N.� ;,; °' vi `i✓'? „ >ri:'�v a•,f?^ d •, I � a' �` y7, ,,. , � � A�2Y µit, � „,�} ;FIT 11 ,spy ., ,,' , _ {�; ..'�'•�' ,.Lt+, "W`�,'��+Wryl, ` >' ,,,,, "'1 %c ((��}}{{ ''�''Y ` j�'a.+.�F,Ly, ,' 4'4r :y � V�.44tiJ1� r. "'3 + � �.k'.'U;^ ,• Y ° • � ir;4 °; ��.•`.� k'� • *- •�'' LYt," °/ zv.. -..,+ e.•.' `,.v; v, ' ��' 9l •l•N• ,�'F' fE%R]. {ir•}. `',r'� i+�.��i;" ""+: t-,::. ;„r:,,.= ,�,w;,,,,.;•.w,,:•, -.:v , i-�; ,”, �r `+ MICHAEL GOULOiNGrrhe•Orange County Register EBRIS: A tree limb biocks•a part of the , Mission Viejo. Wind ripped branches and whole Lion' of Alicia Parkwayand Trabuco Road in trees down across the county Monday. natcp Theodore her horses. 1 1 Po nian. "It' • flipped,, Sight ever the 'as 61W tothe.chain«link fence;" he said), "But the horse she'said,,q+•1', ;;• ; „r ,'., , just, stood,therer!,&, fight. It was Donate Your Usable Clothing, Atchley,. "31y, :recalled "'really iverrd." t . Ind lifteilkhorse startup , For ti FreC Pickup, C = shoulders of orie'of his 24" - -. X 1+ : - . TrII ''RUIN®: Gusts top 160 niph in some areas 158-0333' tossed onto rocks at the An Parkway dam. And dozens,of homeowner's tih= i expectedly had trees transplant- ed onto their homes or into swim- Ming pools. "We've been getting a call a + minute sinc84 o'clock this morn-, ing," said Jim Klinger of Modern Tree-Service in San Juan Capi- strano. „ Winds began blowing,Sunday;. night, bu1'the brunt of the "''storm I {, 'hit -Monday morning. ;rg s Diane,Carter, who has.a'dtgital' i I wind meter on. the rdotligf heir, Modjeska Canyohthi!ime', clbbked gusts at 60 -70 niph;'abotrt;;1:30 p.m, Sunday. a But at.7 to 8 a.m.�(Mdnday) . t •- this major gust ca$e in if, 103 mph, "Cartersaid.­'�Whenit'hits 100 mph, it sound's +Like a' train, coming through the canyon." Late Monday, officialstill were toting up,the damage. Keith + K , Rattay, Mission Viejo mainte-' ; nance service manager, estimat -: ed that more than,1;000 trees:) were down in that city alon i + Sherry Kolibai^a, of • Lag� Beach was one homeowner witSt: a tree problem:' • ' ' i "The house always,sort;of;rat4 ' ,+ ties in the wind," said Kolibar,•, who'had been in the kitchen of her Egan Road beach cottage!. "Then I thought, 'Oh,, my God,; the wind., must -have blown ,off. i some of the•windows."'• When she went out, •sh e discov - -;' r ered the wind' had, split an old' y, pepper tree in her;' front yard .�'. Terri Steele; a spokeswoman` for Pacific Bell,' said service; ; calls were up more than 200,per -' cent over normal. At least,1,106 customers were without service.' The company brought in a addi•; , tional crews from San Diego and; Los Angeles to supplement the' 332 Orange County, workers „try,;, ing'to get service restored.,t , # Register staff writers;Rutely Conde, Brady MacDonald and Gary'Robbins`t'; contributed to this report . , . „, , 158-0333' • • • ra o �t I17n FJWAI u�u<um iQ5 060Qm�+1� ommm rn ui ZuI i R yFo�� O V V V O z A • \�4 Y •6 �1..f ,� ,� : C � 40 l7 W 0' a= 0 6 0 Boa Ewz =o-cr Duo �VZ �a °E sga F- R= rD r�l >1' :) �' CJ IY r D.!1 .] R' ". bJ q • J If�yn r •„II'_ L' q :ter' . r V .N • NyNy CoOO,yryry�i .� ti 0vO .n.n no y !C Cr ;- ro g )9 E«ro ° ppu .y. yr Vnr...t,V rvm 0E w�a �vi��m N ttl +•; •°9 °oti �wo • r�O Lp'7 „ 'O z o x rn .5roGAro ° oyB.ro .o . y« r°d S •r g! lit V 2.0 °.$emo00a m 0y0 °d ro6z o o w U lb.'� d•Ln $>,aro o,"jtimwappy u3 0>• 3ro9S3 u�ro9>°•eG5 yyli�0, "'roQ,'om 0ro�0ro y y _o c 5 AIR -Be n °s E'°°NOa�•° e,ow opS �xi wQw r LU a) ggazv° rm.a�i�e8i'°E•S vy N�4q wm Ty of .o'� Mw •o�ioE T.y.JGiw °t)ro•Oi3. o,oWP9 rn CX,o�Om)go NoNw E 47�'2aE � �.�Sowe ps c uSa'�'l� o9$ya L •`�a3oo.cov9�,q v y' qoy w•° $Sw�� 7•U -cd q �'a E"a °uomo�+F a.- >7�rrwi'«6�I°n:�W�•SF 3a n° lmf, •O V . • `(i(��1 1/1 '� � Y •6 >, ,� ,� : C � 40 N'id 1 J E E YcJ_ a `m n,5 '0 L -Y C EEE E 0 E 0 E'c r s� ° 3 a. a aE e° as ow 3« c E 0 L Eo °E Y W9 C r? YI Z_d Q Z Yd c Q Z • v m ° .o roa v°Ero`�ow Wyy�o�! El p° •°m'C 97.e 'Oy�mx•a 9v.�gv •9 �onroGo e! o•�,« -p nob 9a9El},�..°"".°°c4 >, ma Na 93 RI 0a0 1' 11 u • • • • • • • fD H 4V z b Lo W m V) VI a v O in m z W Z f�. LU W I O N F f •� •:rdi 'r E Y i s s . O f W r1G.a s �N °3 m� ro Y 1 ga 4 m$° Z _N �oLro � �d TUV VIay e o wSe .� °c •o ° r � _ L L C C C C •�/ T b ro ,rn •= °3 avi !f C p°pa 0 n ?v°o9v as FiaY°ro $C LOpQ - -J CSM ® °'O Eol •� �3a�w .g« ° �= nab« e /a >.ziV °sc EN in N �p all a 1 �F •�/ T b ro ,rn •= °3 avi !f C p°pa 0 n ?v°o9v as FiaY°ro $C LOpQ - -J CSM ® °'O Eol •� �3a�w .g« ° �= nab« e /a >.ziV °sc EN in N �p all a O ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NewsBank, inc. - The Orange County Register - 1993 - Article with Citation -------------------------------------------------------------------- dline: TOUCHED BY FIRE ECLECTIC HEROES OF ST. ANNS Tom Marshall: 'When the eucalyptus caught, Lydia and I 'ust hugged each other an crie an sai goo ye •o a ouse. rr� Date: October 29, 1993 Section: NEWS AA ev Page: g07 Edition: MORNING A� �R Dateline: 700 block of St. Anns Word Count: 732 F N ' �v s Drive, Laguna Beach, A y P Ca Author: MARTIN J. SMITH The Orange County Register Index Terms: ORANGE COUNTY FIRES DISASTERS REACTION Text: They confronted their decision amid swirling smoke and the first traces of falling ash: Stay or go? The leading edge of the Laguna fire had crested the hills above them and seemed unstoppable in its march toward the Pacific. Most 49the neighbors along St. Anns Drive behind Laguna Beach High hool had taken the advice of authorities and fled to safer ground. Tom Marshall, a retired Los Angeles police officer standing on his roof at 777 St. Anns, noticed someone else watching the approaching conflagration from a rooftop to his right. It was Gary Arthur, a chiropractor who moved into his house at 773 St. Anns a few days earlier. To Marshall's left, he noticed another neighbor, salesman Brett Bradshaw. "We decided if we stayed together and worked the hot spots as a team, and worked on each other's houses, we'd have a chance of saving it all," Marshall said. "We decided it was worth the try." It would be hard to assemble a more eclectic group. Those three men were joined by Marshall's wife, Lydia, a church secretary; artist Paul Courtney, who had been painting clouds and blue sky on the ceilings of Arthur's new house; Arthur's friend,,a self- described "waveologist" named Wave Baker; and a friend from Myrtle Street, Marcus Hughes. They began with a prayer. Shouting above the approaching roar, Arthur recited the 23rd Psalm, improvising at one point: "Thy rod, thy staff and thy garden hose, they comfort mel" Baker added his own spiritual touch. As the hot winds blew around him, he solemnly performed a "wind dance" he hoped would make the Santa Ana winds shift in their favor. Then they waited, hoses ready, wet towels tied around their noses and mouths. 6 "From the rooftops, it was the most amazing view," Courtney id. "I just watched a huge ember float this way. My eyes were just affixed to every falling glow of light.". .The embers fell, igniting the dry shrubs and juniper trees that Browncroft Road, in the gully below. If that tree went up, it might eucalyptus tree was in flames, as was flames iic c"•i ed, M gher, threatening the frantically jumped from roof to roof, Rosalva Hernandez, a reporter for noticed their effort and climbed onto Marshall said, she was talking into a while hosing down flames with the oth flare -ups. "She was one of us," caught up in this fight Then the eucalvotus 11ow would go," Arthur said. e Tence 1—ust beneath the a nearby juniper tree. The lower boughs. Hughes directing the hoses. The Orange County Register, a roof. At one point, cellular phone in one hand er hand, taking notes between /l Marshall said. "Just another human being „ 0 to survive . " of p syli tree caught ire. - G�' 0 J s • " iLydia an 7 us hu ed each other and �%J/ti ea a or a car, eaving, wrien a Seal Beach Fire Department showed up. When they got that tree out, we went back to work. But if they hadn't been there at that exact moment, we would have lost it all." The morning after, with the air still acrid and many of their neighbors behind evacuation lines, the heroes of St. Anns Drive shared coffee amid the blackened foliage and relived the event that brought them together. Arthur, Courtney and Baker tapped ceremonial drums from time to time as they surveyed a neighborhood mostly unscarred by the fire. Later, Marshall marveled at the diversity of the group. "I tell you something," he said. "For a couple of hours dnesday night, we were all one." Graphic: BLACK & WHITE PHOTO Caption: A DIVERSE GROUP OF RESIDENTS WHO LIVE BEHIND LAGUNA BEACH HIGH SCHOOL TAP CEREMONIAL DRUMS AS THEY SURVEY A NEIGHBORHOOD MOSTLY UNSCARRED BY FIRE. YGNACIO NANETTI Memo: SPECIAL REPORT: TOUCHED BY FIRE Copyright 1993 The Orange County Register Accession Number: OCR508434' --------------------------------------------- -------------- - - - - -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NewsBank, inc. - Los Angeles Times - 1991, July - December -_- Article - with - Citati - -------------------------------------------- - - - - -- - dline: O.C. Firefighters Raise the 'Red Flag' in Winds Warning: Strike teams on alert for trouble in arid hills and canyons on 'most critical day of the year.' Date: October 31, 1991 Section: Main News News Desk: Metro Desk Edition: Orange County Edition Thursday Page: A -1 Word Author: DAVID REYES JAMES GOMEZ TIMES STAFF WRITERS Index Terms: BRUSH FIRES -- ORANGE COUNTY FIRE SAFETY SANTA ANA WINDS DROUGHTS -- SOUTHERN Article Type: Main Story Count: 1648 3=- !'G . . owa�:�,Nr:'drr p�pT'S Aoaior', /tA4 Al t�GAGyA'ld5 Tti6�S C JT CJ 0-vo N. CALIFORNIA Lead: Teams of firefighters fanned across the parched hills and canyons of Orange County Wednesday, as Santa Ana winds gusted to 69 m.p.h. -- heightening the potential for a fire disaster. cwThe season's first "red flag" warning was declared by the orange ty Fire Department, which automatically dispatched roving fire inspectors, ordered strike teams on standby near Irvine Lake and began assembling a brigade -size crew of firefighters and equipment. "Today (Wednesday) is the most critical day of the year in terms of fire conditions," said Orange County Fire Capt. Dan Young. Text: The critical conditions -- caused by the combination of high winds, dry air and the effects of the five -year drought on vegetation - -are expected to continue today. Young said the fire warning will remain in effect at least until 4 p.m. Temperatures today are expected to be in the upper 60s to upper 70s, with northeast winds gusting to 30 m.p.h., said Stephen Burback, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times. "There's no rain in sight, and the humidity is very low. It's very dry because of the northeast down - sloping winds that dry the air out," Burback said. The fear, Young said, is that the picturesque canyons of orange County, where towering juniper and eucalyptus trees surround some of the region's most sprawling homes, could catch fire and quickly become an inferno like this month's Oakland hills fire that killed 24 people and destroyed 2,889 houses. Even 'before the embers were cooling from the Oakland firestorm, fire officials here were singling out Lemon Heights, Cowan Heights, orange Acres, Yorba Linda and other communities as "oaklands waiting to h en," Young said. These communities, with narrow, winding roads, wood - shingled roofs and hillside brush creeping toward homes, are "designed for disaster," county fire officials warn. "We're not talking about brush fires anymore," said Young, whose department has sent damage- assessment teams to Santa Barbara, Glendale and Oakland during past blazes there. "You're talking about fires that run from shake roof to shake roof. Older, wooded communities that have ose same conditions such as Villa Park, North Tustin, Orange Park res and others are potential Oaklands," he said. Young and other fire officials point to the newer, South County communities of Portola Hills and Rancho Santa Margarita as exceptions because their tract homes were built in accordance with new requirements for non - combustible roofs and 100 -foot firebreaks around the perimeters of the developments. "You're not going to get a raging fire in those new communities," Young said. "It will just not occur." In Lemon Heights, homes sit in roughly the same corridor where the Paseo Grande Fire, the largest in Orange County history, roared through on Oct. 29, 1967, wiping out 66 homes and scorching 50,000 acres. Although more than two decades have passed, the thick, wooded area, though aesthetically pleasing, is considered more dangerous now because there are more homes and ornamental vegetation is "bigger, thicker and more dense," said Jon Anderson, hazard - reduction supervisor for the County Fire Department. "You go down there today and sit on a ridge top. What do you notice? With few exceptions, trees (growing) right up against homes, and there are still a lot of wood - shingled roofs," Anderson said. Yet even if homeowners install non - combustible roofs and create firebreaks around their houses, conditions created by the drought may make firefighting efforts futile if an out -of- control fire breaks through and creates an inferno, such as in Oakland. "Let's face it, there's little you can do when the heat inside these fires burns sidewalks and melts metal. It doesn't matter if you put in ught- resistant plants; a fire looks for more fuel to burn and, as s burning, it's evaporating the moisture of the fuel in front of it. If it's dead vegetation or if you have had drought years, then it takes less energy to evaporate that moisture and set it on fire," Anderson said. Saturday's spattering of rainfall provided some temporary relief, Young said, but not enough. And today's forecast of a slight chance of rain is not expected to bring rainfall significant enough to alter the fire conditions. "We had enough rain to make it a little safer until Wednesday," Young said. "The problem is that the conditions that lead to those like Oakland's were conditioned over six years." Young said Orange County needs "enough storms and significant rainfall to produce new growth," which would inhibit a large fire. Bill Callihan, 52, who lives in the gated community of Crest de Ville in orange, lost his $500,000 ridgeline home in the Oct. 9, 1982, Gypsum Canyon fire. He knows the emotions that ran through the minds of the Oakland fire victims. As he sat in his living room last week watching news broadcasts of flames gutting whole neighborhoods, Callihan sympathized with their plight. "It was exactly like the fire we had up here," Callihan said.. "We had a Santa Ana wind and we could see the fire out in the mountain, probably about 10 to 20 miles away. (But) the wind changed direction, and it came toward us. No one had time to prepare." The fire destroyed 17 homes, including 12 in the Crest de Ville munity, where Callihan has since rebuilt his home with a = combustible roof. "We had a refrigerator and a deep freezer. When we returned to our home it was just ashes. only the chimney was standing. We found globs where the refrigerator was," Callihan said. Brea Fire Capt. Paul Bartley recalled trying to save Callihan's neighborhood: "They had open gas lines burning through, windows breaking, and ,so many embers flying that it was raining fires. The fire was moving so fast, we had to decide which houses to let go and which save." Fire officials point to myths about what homeowners should and shouldn't do. Rule No. 1, Young said, is evacuate when a police officer or firefighter tells you to. Also, use common sense. "You probably saw television footage in Oakland of long lines of abandoned cars, all facing downhill. They were trying to escape. But a question we firefighters ask is, with everybody racing to get out, how do you get a big, 50,000 -pound firetruck up into the area to fight the fire ?" Young said. Callihan said that before he was ordered to evacuate, he and his neighbors climbed on their roofs with garden hoses. But Young said that reduces vital water pressure. In one fire, residents at the bottom of a hill had turned on their water sprinklers and garden hoses, robbing the system of vital water pressure for firefighters battling the blaze on top of the hill, he said. "You also have to remember that when firefighters roll down your street in a truck, their first duty is to protect life first. so they see half a dozen people watering their roofs, and they jump down from the truck and go over and try coaxing the people down instead of fighting the fire. This jeopardizes the safety of the neighborhood," Young said. "What most people don't realize is that even fire hoses which pump out 350 gallons of water per minute do not accomplish that much in an inferno. By contrast, these garden hoses put out only about 12 gallons per minute. You have to remember we're all using the same water s stem," he said. Residents in semirural areas have already been advised by the Orange unty Fire Department that they must clear combustible brush from their houses to a distance of 50 feet, 20 feet more than previously required. Also, they have been encouraged to plant drought- resistant plants, such as succulents, close to their houses to create natural firebreaks, to clear away all combustible material from the houses and to install spark- arresters on chimneys. But clearing dead vegetation from more than 250,000 acres of Orange County wild land is impossible, particularly in a year such as this one, when nature seems to have conspired against the firefighter. The "March miracle," a series of heavy rains, dampened hillsides and brought new green grasses. But much of that has died now. In areas like Cowan Heights, as much as 70% of the wild vegetation on some southern slopes has died, Young said. The dead growth could act as a superhighway for wind -swept wildfires. In the meantime, Young said, "all we can do is warn about the fire dangers. It's the public that needs to take our warnings seriously." One of Callihan's neighbors, Maud Whitney, whose Crest de Ville home survived the Gypsum fire intact, as ee e e warnings. nesn= FHP .ij'1J.. cGO t" .AVW,1. die if' re 'was a alev-a—stld i experience," she said. "When we came back into our neighborhood, we didn't know if we had a home or not. Luckily, we did." But she now keeps a suitcase with spare clothes in the trunk of her 9, just in case. Caption: PHOTO: Cause for O.C. Fire Alert: Orange County fire crews stood watch on tinder -dry hills and canyons to try to prevent another Oakland disaster as high winds brought a "red flag" alert and created what fire officials called "the most critical day of the year." Above, lush vegetation again blankets homes on hilltop in Crest de Ville area of Orange, where a 1982 fire destroyed 12 homes. SOTOGRAPHER: ROBERT LACHMAN / Los Angeles Times Copyright, The Times Mirror Company; Los Angeles Times 1991 Accession Number: 000126550 • -------------------------------------------------------------- 7 --------- NewsBank, inc. - Los Angeles Times - 1993 - Article with Citation ------------------------------------------------------------------- adline: Harrowing Tales From the Fire Lines Firefighting: Four men are seriously hurt battling Chatsworth blaze. Crews facing intense heat and danger must decide which homes to save and which to let burn. Date: October 28, 1993 Page: A -3 Author: J. MICHAEL KENNEDY ROBERT J. LOPEZ TIMES STAFF WRITERS Index Terms Article Type: BRUSH FIRES BRUSH FIRES BRUSH FIRES BRUSH FIRES FIREFIGHTERS DISASTERS -- Infobox Chronology 0 News Desk: Metro Desk Edition: Home Edition Thursday G Word Count: 1345 ,►G. , 'we N --eEc It S wW ILE�VCI�iLyl�vS V� /` SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA�y40 LOS ANGELES COUNTY ORANGE COUNTY VENTURA COUNTY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Lead: flames came in a rush through the night. And they whipped, faster than a man can run, toward the crews battling the brush fire in the pre -dawn Wednesday on the Ventura County line. The firefighters of Engine Co. 98, in the hills of above Chatsworth, watched as the flames raced toward them after a sudden wind shift, bearing down so quickly that they knew there was no escape, no way to back the truck out of danger. Text: Their only hope was to climb into the firetruck, close the windows and hope to survive. The heat of the fire was so intense that the windows were knocked out and flames leaped into the cab. Somehow, though badly burned, all four survived. Struggling from the truck, they began walking toward safety. Fire Capt. Sonny Garrido saw them coming down the road toward him, their fire helmets melted. "We're burnt, we're burnt," Garrido recalled them saying. "They looked like they were in a state of shock. My guys put a lot of water on them to cool them off but they were in a lot of pain." The firefighters were all seriously injured and taken to the Sherman Oaks Hospital Burn Center. What happened to them marked the most serious injuries in a day of high drama for thousands of firefighters throughout Southern California. They battled blazes from Ojai in the north to San Diego in the south, winning some of their battles and O.ing many others to the onslaught of fire pushed along relentlessly the wind. Theirs was a day in which painful decisions had to be made - -which houses they would try to save, which ones would burn to the ground because of a lack of either water or personnel or both. Which ones, in their parlance, were "keepers." Before dawn, Gaylord Ward, a camp supervisor for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, heard the alarm go off at a fire camp in the San Gabriels. The location of the blaze was in the hills of Altadena. and his men loaded up the truck for the 20- minute drive down the ding road. The firefighters could already see the glow from the flames. And Ward recalled thinking, "Are we going to stop it ?" "When we got there the whole canyon was gone, and it was obvious it was going to be a major fire," said Ward, whose crew was the first on the scene. For the next five hours, Ward's firefighters and then others tried to knock back the flames, throwing burning vegetation into the fire and heaping shovelfuls of dirt on the flames. only at dawn did the water air strikes begin. "It was hellacious," Ward said. Just after dawn, Firefighter Andy Solorzano found himself trapped in the battle to save Altadena. He and his crew were being overrun by fire as it raced through Eaton Canyon. Like what had happened earlier in the morning near the Ventura County line, the wind picked up to as much as 60 m.p.h., jumping flames across a canyon and directly toward the firefighters. Trapped, they raced for cover behind the firetruck, hoping it would provide enough protection. The firemen adjusted their hoses to emit a fog -like spray and keep the fire at bay. Solorzano got in the cab and inched the firetruck down a narrow winding road to safety. "We knew we had to protect the truck because if we lost it we lost our water," Solorzano said. They ended up near Altadena Drive and New York Avenue, battling to le six homes that were about to be overrun by fire. Solorzano said y saved five. When Firefighter Ward Olson awoke Wednesday morning, he looked out the window and saw the smoke of Altadena. Quickly dressing, he threw his fire gear in his four - wheel -drive pickup and headed in the direction of the fire. Eucalyptus trees were in flames and exploding all around him as the f1re Foor, one Ouse, en ano er. son oo e np —W1." t x hours. "We saved a lot of houses," he said. ".But some you had to write off because we had limited water and personnel." By the middle of the afternoon, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Dirk Wegner's face was covered in soot. He was sitting in the staging area for firefighters at Victory Park in Pasadena, eating chicken McNuggets. He, like the others, was in awe of the fire, its swiftness and the destruction it had caused. "It was just crazy," he said. "The guys on my crew put it on the line." He also said more homes could have been saved, but firefighters were hampered when they ran out of water. "We were screaming for water," he said.. "We would have given our souls for water." In another part of the fire, a Los Angeles County Fire Department captain and his crew discovered there was no water coming from the hydrant. "I just don't know how we're going to do this," he said in frustration. Then he ordered his crew to take water from a nearby ing pool. They drove the engine to the back yard of a house, ssing through the sides of the fence gate and running over the neatly trimmed hedge. They were able to save one house using the water from the pool. As the fires in Laguna Beach burned out of control, Fire Capt. Mike Virden told of how bad things had become in what was only hours before a picturesque oceanside art colony. Virden, who with his crew had driven 235 miles south from Kings County to help, said there were not enough fire hydrants in town to wet down houses in the line of the - e. "Mother Nature is going.to have to help us," he said, voicing hope the winds would'die down. Further inland Wednesday, fire was shooting through the fields in the unincorporated area of Winchester in rural Riverside County, toward Yshmael Garcia's home. Flames licked at both sides of his driveway. About a dozen firetrucks formed a line on either side of the Garcia driveway, allowing him to drive with his family to safety. "I'd have to say they probably saved our lives," Garcia said. "I don't know what we would have done without them." Times staff writers Leslie Berger, Michael Granberry and Berkley Hudson contributed to this story. "It's Starting To Turn On Us." - -Radio call from Lilac Lane A sudden shift of wind down a narrow canyon created a wall of flame that trapped four firefighters stationed on Lilac Lane above Chatsworth to protect a mansion and nearby houses. All four were seriously injured. The erratic fire began about 1 a.m. Wednesday near Santa Susana Pass Road and burned to the southwest into Ventura County and along Box Canyon Road. Chimney effect: The topography of Lilac Lane, narrow with high hillsides., formed a natural chimney flue,, funneling the flames toward t e firefighters. 1. At about 5 a.m., a radio call warns firefighters that gusting ds have suddenly shifted direction. 2. Escape impossible, four firefighters scramble into the cab. There is no time to don breathing masks. 3. Flames 40 to 50 feet high engulf the fire engine, breaking out the windows. The fire jumps the road, igniting the nearby hillside. 4. A minute later, the firefighters, burned and suffering from smoke inhalation, walk to a nearby fire engine for help. 5. The firefighters are treated at the scene and rushed to area hospitals. Caption: PHOTO: Four Los Angeles city firefighters were badly burned when their truck was engulfed by fast - moving flames on Lilac Lane in Chatsworth early Wednesday. PHOTO: A fire captain injured in Chatsworth blaze is taken to the hospital. PHOTOGRAPHER: BORIS YARO / Los Angeles Times GRAPHIC - DRAWING: "It's Starting To Turn On Us," REBECCA PERRY and TREVOR JOHNSTON / Los Angeles Times Copyright, The Times Mirror Company; Los Angeles Times 1993 Accession Number: 000107287 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ • • CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH GENERAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT TREE INSPECTION REPORT Name: Mel and Sheila Tubbs Address: 547 El Modena Avenue Phone Number: (714) 642 -6352 Request: Tree removals, see attached letter. Trees on 15th Street. Botanical Name: Eucalyptus camaldulensis Common Name: Red gum Designated Street Tree: None Estimated Tree Value:24" DBH -2 trees (451.4 ") 60% species value $9380.96 • Damage: Maintenance records indicate trimming was completed January 2, 1992 March 2, 1994. Limb failures occurred from recent storms on October 22. 1996 and November 27, 1996. Parkway: Concrete Brick Turf X Other Comments: See attached Inspected by: Date: December 11, 1996 Recommendation: See attached Reviewed by: Ilik APIAA46 Date: • 06 -95 3v n LJ Supplemental Information Re: Mel and Sheila Tubbs 547 El Modena Avenue Comments: A field inspection determined two Eucalyptus trees (on 15th Street) with weakly attached secondary growth from past topping practices. Topping in my opinion promotes limb failures as described in the attached Tree City USA Bulletin, number 8. Despite repeated pruning of these two trees to reduce wind thrust and potential limb failure, fallen limbs have occurred recently and in my opinion will occur in the future and will result in a potential liability to the City. This particular species, Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Red Gum) is rated for species value by the International Society of Arboriculture at 60% (copy attached), as compared to the other adjacent Eucalyptus street trees on 15th Street at a rating of 80 -100% species value. The two trees at the Tubb's residence are the only Red Gums on 15th Street. • Additionally, on 15th Street there is a total of 35 Eucalyptus cladocalyx (Sugar Gum, species value 80 %), 2 Eucalyptus camaldulensis, species value 60% (Red Gum), 2 Eucalyptus sideroxylon (Red Iron Bark,species value 80 %), 1 Eucalyptus polyanthemos (Red Box Gum, species value 80 %), 2 Eucalyptus citriodora (Lemon Gum, species value 100 %). There is not a designated 'replacement tree listed on the official City list and the property owner does not want a replacement tree of the same species. Recommendation: Remove the two trees and do replant with the same or similar tree species. n L_J 0 0 0 Species, cultivar and variety rating can be at any percentage from 1 to 100 percent, but normally will be calculated at 5 or 10 percent intervals. A tree of high value (80 to 100 %) will possess the qualities of hardiness, reasonable durability and wide adaptability. It will require little maintenance and is free from undesirable characteristics. It should possess a sturdy branching habit and pleasing foliage, and may have the added features of interesting flowers and/or fruits. 0 • • ¢ g F F F O c V `u `w F9 0 F L Q °- 4 G T •.. > n 1•0 a s u m � G E u '�00 n U c 0 4• •b C V o � '" E >'u, '? `oV p�I F' I e �w =' y Uv•`� x a r c <U cy.. p y � =P:V E O p R 'a ro O O 5 tl m L7:8 V• c .. a fi v .F I C r 4 m ,c E a .0 = :5 F T n o o :9 p o U t-, c •T, E Y y l l p F v° = °' 6 e N fi �' m Y 9 fi O C os.o C EU e`o F o o U d o m l ¢ y v '51 1 e Q' .'°. ` `'d A o .` .Ni '� °cFP .� W fi I z c y n •a `a (� .I°. P. h r` y c .d 4 p 3 .°, °_3 •� .o ° y y U> a. ° ti v o a x ,3 u n a E 0 o'`i z c Q y ,o n e 7 a c E .". O N �° `c 9 v v n C •p y�:� v y�� c 'Zj g p U .I°. It o° � ouj .a H�� 14 U�. eO Nc ] +gyp =p bwtiN Nn.•, R =RY C.e N` E $. E$ E? •z b •'1 n lV- n 3 ti" W •^•-' ° '3 'i C ?? U Y n =° t „�„ R n= j m :G tyU ',L^ V �v •c �` �•�04� S � '4�� fi. k. ahs ���- CU CTC C C�i C`iGGUV�1 VV`UCC: k 6 a. 1 •p �6 16 N F d� n' o .O• E y n c n 0 0 E 4 =' cz E b tlb rd� C C4C. TO 17mm�Ntl ro a +b o uOI 6•x Fl O ` fi eo b v 9 O c fi ,p b V T•. «. � atlP3 by Eod_:CE�E°�'E�°�� '' oo 'b E d v •bb O h a O [ 6 4 ¢° w •°Y : b 4 C 9 ecooF�t��lg`U•;3��oc0 C c c r a o i � Q ^" F o= N a a W � O h h W rn `0 E n 4 m 3 d o 0O• -0 I'0 wZ M IS 0 O U V e ti 1 •o z - �, n�,y°S.�'yg4io'aEq•E .�Uc -3'0gg U d' a o 6 a w z s o d E� �' � a �� •g O ,b .5 'y �>. o � N Y A u� ^' 'C 'C E BP t.•d O h V tl p h •-N. � l� •- U •d Q y U 3�� ti w I Ct�b- '�CCC CCQC °C GC�U CS V U° � GU C] v o �I o y�y oU � •0 (� �+ °� •• u K n o b E u °- z u o Y 3 4 T q a y n 00 1. N d u u E `u m � E p C 1 0 0 M 0 W tly bj3 R fi Q'� °8 v otl.CXAcoct�� �zzv'�q'zFt= b`_S„`` 43 zy 3•SceEO F wa.o!t d ,�,� d�z�oEasnavaFT,•ti -FAOZ a °n °yn3 a a� e r ce¢e�em m roc5'c�c�c;OG� �aa4 C F N G1 X U E c Eh a c�° E ° 'cc o EPF U: pq 'r3 F I U o•o _��x � Fi u , � F. o o •� X "• E° c F U i z ^un ...uN0. A�m,oiC C 4 C '• •0 N i tl S � tl C o tl tl i a n Zz A' C C^ . QcC Ub V UCV 94 L41'. c i9 'c G F E � F 0 C y n 0' "y y z 'g g�4F c u O nF 3 0 �.- '"id y o U y 0 4 d W 4••:V • 01 r W C °3 xa A h c p°'p C` e.FOj a >°• a '� al �, d ..>. a q c 'c O g C ... qj ., ° a0 . r�0' G a n - yen 4i^2o F0U �. O ... oat'' > I F. c ti L'. � X F' .G o. I. � o °. m T c � �' r •'^�` . I v 3 d 0 n ° m e ,E��' � k y °M � N O O C G y y 0 �O 3 W �. � c 1i •> Z!34 I .^ I"° O ° g.4F,8e 0�, y •� ytr N n C7 H E l a z x tl b o o .. • tl u Q' e $ o .o.. °p' w o 4 - ��� a m g$ v F n F o•'.. �i k•i`. •'�°•Tb. �i s y- : i Q GCsli 0.h�0.ti November 6, 1996 Mel & Sheila Tubbs 547 E1 Modena Newport Beach, Ca. 92663 Phone: 642 -6352 John Conway, Urban Forester 3300 Newport Blvd. Newport Beach, Ca. 92658 Re: City Parkway Eucalyptus Trees - 15th St. Dear Mr. Conway, RECEIVED NOV 12 1996 GS PARKS/TREES I'm writing this letter concerning property damage caused by the city Eucalyptus trees which are planted in our yard bordering 15th Street. We have lived in our home for 17 years. During those years, the city trees have caused roof damage, to include bent vents, rain gutters and major landscape clean -up to the front and back yard. Our vehicles have had numerous close calls,with broken and falling •limbs. On our recent Santa Ana wind storm in October, a major limb fell to the ground just inches away from where I was standing. The limb was too heavy to move. The "near miss" is a real concern for our family's safety. I contacted Mr. Lomeli on October 24th when the major limb fell. I was concerned with the weather reports of strong, continuing Santa Ana winds forecasted for the weekend. Mr. Lomeli and Charles Working with West Coast Arborists, arrived to check our tree damage. Mr. Lomeli indicated it was too windy for major tree trimming, but a crew would respond later that afternoon to trim some of the problem limbs. We have had numerous Tree maintenance crew workers admit that the Eucalyptus trees are not an acceptable parkway tree and require -a heavy work load to maintan and trim back. We respectfully request the Eucalyptus trees be removed before we sustain major property damage, or worse, an accident with falling limbs hitting persons below the trees. We have appreciated the work the city employees exhibit trying to maintain these trees and recognize the schedules have been cut back on the major pruining routine. However, we prioritize our family's safety and property security over trees which are no long appropriate as curb -side trees. I have been contacted by several neighbors in our area who are willing to sign a petition for the removal of the trees, as they are also concerned. I look forward to your response and hopefully this problem can be resolved. • Sincerely, UX Li w. -fir •mot �nr-- ---\AAPDEfAIL _]y .__.- ........,,. - M� 1335 d A a0 39i110� a3 '��p rii In S AQ N yA. ye, i I w �r.•.- C, Jnz Acid' „qb• ? • A- ,._r x �� :., .� .;5,., IN a � ., ,:31dYNp �j 7rg� , v, I �lil8 d1l ,� yU i��. F•' ,.: {"n:' � 31d1M F. =• 5 B ¢�y /. dyf •I 2 • �'cY a -:• t Ar H13NYNr S,y o'S °.^,I , g �` Aq M.: tp'.: "�y' 44,h •�I ' •: ,p1b14rs .- 'm GAY _ rI01A• � •` �y32'r rylyRiN 5 3 A. �Y6 �� r•Y � B ;i _ �� F � FyC," � � � � mC.�B mm _ .� '.R Fn, l'' • nst °4c • ♦ s -IV.y G � •^ :1 y,' ;, W 3AY tm[ -t 1 A m ¢ _' :.U? y� X�ra 'I= 3 YIILHOd 'AY A`JN1113's ••c+¢ 3]YIIYX n, Y F • ,.� = t� ,3]YIYd .: -. ,. :.+. Vi .a♦. 3 . 1 8 +0, ^. +. �•. ; ; to[I _', t09[ •tm[ At A IY ``nq '.i ` �7C�Y �^°. 1CQ ,�„ ^O -�p w .Y g✓,� 3 Y �'1.i� _Nr �.�n•..�....t... '..',-� r:- ^.:}Y•1 is .._..,r, .YX ]Yld _ r._ ;li: ; _.. r6 ^'` - ., „A' Sv : -, •vin; -;, ''''14 ,•�, Y '• G � .� :� IYLANILIW v ! B.':. 'r, 10x1' 'tsit ' a � �' ' �A r YIAI .41 Jj A IWO o =,•��� �.'». '. ~�xN, u - e F qqpp 7§ - e ,+• ,4 <t .O4 !'t4 - t• •, w IK_W ^fl W ;'• •\? ' I '�i,°tis,•;.�= 3�+3 '" HH �. ,� cv .•�'.:!�',a � s. ?� qa w ".^o'_ �„ � �. n 7� "' __ AY, AY S fag � � - .31,vr AY mYIa� Y. ..� U3IWIY1 - 'r..I. a•,2, �,�.a n o: ��>�2� Y .Cad` � atwe, �4Qg. re. °'�i' A /�, �� �• r� '� }, ^'•��g`8��nn -+ " ,. v.•SSI,.- _Q_ '. no CE ^_'Y I aat �a ° °cSF _ - �S �. - Y.r a�3cy X•.d," � Y • .r{i55r' -+r'�> I � d M 1$ �� r � ^ a •"`e.nt u•. J e w..a d'.t�'^ : =- �J re � t n¢ l ""- 0° r a� t . e a ♦�ay� 3 aivwa a n n a ntanns s � °- e *p � � ^ ta9� e3 -^ .e' �lapl•V m "ode 506= a " q+ i 0:. ' M <taa[x e a=g I W ! . Yy $ � I ��l '�y asAz � fir• 5 • ° � � $ � xrsnr r aRr M1�• • A'pa n Z 11 • J Awmfl A { a _ yVA3AtlM n Lu 111 S6 '. • � 4 ni i 4~ � 9 d" ¢Q HJtl3B tig i� � �,e !P a OAlB<a n �e4ya$ al3x "• �3 "� ° �nxs : A7 L4 i9LOtDirdmri MfiY lu,rv,+m`_ _]y .__.- ........,,. - M� 1335 d