Tree Lovers Battle Homeowners Over Ocean Views

Residents demanding that the city remove invasive trees blocking ocean views went up against others who insist that the city's old-growth trees be preserved Tuesday at the San Clemente City Council meeting.

More than 20 residents spoke at the meeting.

In the end, Council members asked staff to come up with more research to develop a policy and to present it at the upcoming joint council and advisory commissions meeting May 29. Members hoped to collect more public input for the policy.

Mayor Bob Baker was the council member who initiated the discussion in response to resident complaints that non-native city trees had grown up to block their expensive ocean views.

Though the city has a policy that officials won't consider protecting private ocean views when approving development or landscaping, Baker said he hoped to develop a process by which property owners could have a say in how trees on public property affected their views.

"My reasoning on this is the city being a good neighbor," Baker said. "If my neighbor came to me and said, 'your tree is growing up in front of my ocean view. Could you cut it down, and I'll pay for it an pay for a replacement of your choice?' I'd say, 'sure, lets do that,' as I think most of us would. That's where I'm coming from on this."

City beaches and parks maintenance supervisor Dennis Reed warned the issue would be complicated and fraught with emotion.

"This will be an issue where a lot of sensitivity will have to be involved," he said. "A cut-and-dried bureaucratic program is going to be trying to pound a round peg into a square hole."

A number of residents complained about eucalyptus trees that were intended to screen a water reservoir but had subsequently grown up to block the ocean views of a neighborhood above the San Clemente Municipal Golf Course.

Other residents said the 150-plus-foot eucalyptus and Monterey cypress trees aren't native species and can present fire hazards, ruin plumbing and utilities and present other safety hazards.

Residents who are connected with the San Clemente Historical Society -- like Georgette and Alan Korsen -- as well as General Plan Advisory Committee members like Karen Ahola and Rich Boyer, called for protection of mature trees.

"We have always steered clear of private view protection," Georgette Korsen said. "We could conceivably lose all of our mature trees because every tree is in someone's view."

Councilman Chris Hamm said he thought the rough proposals to allow residents to ask for public tree removal needed a lot of work. He said any tree policy should be discussed with the commissions and the public at the joint meeting on May 29.

"This, as it sits in front of me, I'm not a fan of," Hamm said. "We need to take a look at this and do it right the first time."

Councilman Tim Brown agreed that the issue would have to be hashed out during an intense public process.

"I think this is the start of a good conversation,” he said. “We're not rushing to judgment."

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