Around Town: Neighborhoods want their privacy
They say that possession is nine-tenths of the law, which explains why the Google product forum is full of posts from frustrated homeowners who want Google to remove footage of private roads from the company’s Street View.
In 2008, Google took the position that it had the right to go onto private roads, even those posted with “no trespassing” signs, to photograph homes because the homes show up on satellite images.
A Pennsylvania couple, Aaron and Christine Boring, sued Google in 2008. The Borings’ home was at the end of a 50-foot private drive. The Google Street View trucks had driven onto their road, down to their house, to take a Street View 360 degree photo. The Borings said they had purchased their home, for a considerable sum, due to their interest in privacy.
The case was vigorously litigated by Google, which ironically asserted its own privacy rights in responding to discovery.
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Google’s motion to dismiss was granted, then reversed by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal. Finally, in 2010, Google settled, agreed to take down the Street View of the family’s home and private road, to pay a nominal award of $1, but without admission of liability.
How does this affect La Cañada Flintridge? As of 1985, our town had 43 privately owned roadways. That’s when the City Council, at the request of the late Edmund Krause, a member of the City Council who lived on Rancho Cañada Road, requested the passage of LCF Ordinance 4.04.090.
The ordinance reads:
“Parking on private property. Any private property may be posted with one or more signs indicating the conditions under which the express or implied consent to park has been given by the owner or person in lawful possession of the property. Such conditions may limit parking to owners, tenants, customers, patrons, members or guests and may limit parking for fixed periods of time. Violation of the conditions set forth on such signs shall be deemed a violation of Section 3115 of Los Angeles County Ordinance No. 6544 as adopted by the city.” (Ord. 115 § 2, 1985)
There had been a problem with cars parking on Rancho Cañada Road. Immediately after passed, 100% of the residents on Rancho Cañada Road asked the city to limit parking, which proves that Councilman Krause was a good, old-school, grassroots organizer.
Meanwhile, the city of LCF has advocated street signs for private streets. This makes sense, from the point of view of emergency access.
Recently, the intersection of Daisy Lane (private) and Rockland Place (private) got a nifty new sign. You won’t see Daisy Lane on Google Street View, at least it doesn’t show up right now, but Street View does allow you to virtually traverse all of Rockland Place, despite the “Pvt” on the street sign.
There are still pockets of LCF that don’t show up on Street View — like Mesa Vista, Rancho Cañada and, of course, Daisy Lane.
There’s a value in staying off of Street View. It’s creepy to see someone mowing their lawn (or worse) on Google Maps. A lot of us in LCF like our privacy.
One town, North Oaks, Minn., has barred Google Street View.
North Oaks, pop. 5000, a suburb of St. Paul, has no public streets. The private property lines go to the middle of the street. The homeowners own and maintain all the roads, no mean feat in Minnesota. The city provides fire, police and emergency services, but owns no property. Google Street View (but not Satellite View) stays out of North Oaks.
I wonder what will happen when Google gets those drones.
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ANITA S. BRENNER is a longtime La Cañada Flintridge resident and an attorney with the Law Offices of Torres and Brenner in Pasadena. Email her at anitasusan.brenner@yahoo.com and follow her on Instagram @realanitabrenner and Facebook/Twitter @anitabrenner.