ItsMeBobO Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Do we have any Orange County displays here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevMike Posted December 25, 2014 Share Posted December 25, 2014 Again, please be sure to read the article with a critical eye. It appears that these people are being threatened with fines NOT for decorating or even excessively decorating. It appears they are getting hit because they are doing things that are unsafe and against the county regs. Read the 3rd paragraph carefully. You can not run cords or anything else over a sidewalk or street. That is what they are making him take down. Also notice that the one woman said 'We have to take those lights down.' (Emphasis mine) Not ALL the lights. The lights she is talking about are more than likely on the right-of-way and incorrectly installed. Last year's 'War on Christmas' came in the form of the Lady who improperly ran electric lines into the right of way, under sidewalks, etc. She spun it as if the county was making her take down the lights because they were grinches. That was not what had happened at all. A few years ago the war was on the gentleman in Boston who built a huge crown for the top of his house. Again, the city (I believe it was the city this time) wasn't trying to make him stop celebrating, they wanted a structural engineer to come out to ensure it was SAFE. The press is always quick to pick up on a Grinch story, but they never seem to get the FULL picture. We all have the right to decorate. I have a vested interest in keeping that right since it puts food on my table. But with that right comes the responsibility to decorate safely and within the bounds of the law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisquit476 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Very well put Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmilkie Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 I live in Orange County. Frankly, its a very conservative county, and very, very Christmas and Christmas light friendly.It's my understanding the complaints by the CITY were about hanging lights on public property, which the city/county were ok with, they just wanted a permit(everything in California seems to require a permit); plus their display spanned lots of houses so it was very large; other cities required permits which were paid by people hanging lights in/on PUBLIC areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItsMeBobO Posted December 28, 2014 Author Share Posted December 28, 2014 Thanks wmilkie. Thats what it seemed like from the slanted story but its nice to get a local perspective. The thread topic is the exact headline from the article which is misleading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmilkie Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Thanks wmilkie. Thats what it seemed like from the slanted story but its nice to get a local perspective. The thread topic is the exact headline from the article which is misleading. This time of year seems to bring out the best and worst of people; and reporters seem more and more like National Inquirer reporters; slightly distort the facts or just plain make them up. the original news was reported in the local papers ocregister.com or latimes.com Merry after Christmas and Happy New Year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevMike Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 So, looks like I was correct then - improper installation on public land. Well, I said on the right-of-way, so I guess you can deduct some points What sells more papers? Which headline is more accurate? Homeowners Asked to Remove Christmas Lights Improperly Installed on Public LandorOrange County Threatens Big Fines For Excessive Christmas Decorations Everyone should remain vigilant and defend their rights when they are being imposed on. What people shouldn't be doing is crying wolf. That's exactly what many of these stories tend to do. Doing so only weakens the case for future people who may REALLY need to rely on that right. Edit:I found a story on the ocregister. Thanks w!http://www.ocregister.com/articles/county-646063-residents-holiday.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmilkie Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 So, looks like I was correct then - improper installation on public land. Well, I said on the right-of-way, so I guess you can deduct some points What sells more papers? Which headline is more accurate? Homeowners Asked to Remove Christmas Lights Improperly Installed on Public LandorOrange County Threatens Big Fines For Excessive Christmas Decorations Everyone should remain vigilant and defend their rights when they are being imposed on. What people shouldn't be doing is crying wolf. That's exactly what many of these stories tend to do. Doing so only weakens the case for future people who may REALLY need to rely on that right. Edit:I found a story on the ocregister. Thanks w!http://www.ocregister.com/articles/county-646063-residents-holiday.html You got it rightThe local papers I mentioned, especially the OC Register are suffering, maybe they did this to boost circulation; or just to stir things upIt was really a non issue in my opinion that someone was trying to make an issue; and as far as I know, there was never any follow up either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts