Fired-Up State Lawmakers Pull the Plug on No-Parking Law

If you soon get permission to park closer than 15 feet to the fire hydrant in front of your home, send your cards and letters of appreciation to Santee Councilman Mike Clark and Assemblyman Larry Stirling.

Clark’s constituents had complained that the 15-foot free zone, required by the state Vehicle Code, made parking difficult in the East County city because of the of narrow residential lots and its 1,400 fire hydrants.

Some even got parking tickets in their own neighborhoods.

“Once you have a 22-foot driveway and a 15-foot zone (on either side of) a fire hydrant, that doesn’t leave much room in front of the average lot for anything but a VW,” Clark said. “That doesn’t do my neighbors much good. Many of them have motor homes.”

Santee could have shrunk the zone to 5-feet but, under state law, that would have required painting the curbs red or posting signs. Estimated price tag: $17,000 to start, and a $12,000 annual upkeep, considered too expensive for the young municipality.

Instead, Clark convinced his council colleagues that Santee was suffering an injustice and received permission to speak for the city and approach Stirling (R-San Diego), about a legislative remedy.

Out of those discussions came Assembly Bill 896, which moved swiftly and without opposition through both legislative houses for signature by the governor.

Specific Local Ills

The Santee fire hydrant bill was among a number of bills submitted last year by members of San Diego County’s legislative delegation that were meant to cure a specific local ill but resulted in a broader impact from San Ysidro to the Oregon border.

Unlike budget bills--like that of Assemblyman Steve Peace (D-Chula Vista) to bring park funds to San Diego, Spring Valley and the South Bay--or program bills--for instance Assemblyman Peter Chacon’s (D-San Diego) bill to expand veterans’ services in the county--these are bills are San Diego County’s contribution to the overall commonweal of the state.

In the case of Santee’s battle over fire hydrants, the city’s fire marshal testified in Sacramento that innovations in fire nozzles and fire hoses made the 15-foot zone obsolete.

The new law, effective this New Year’s Day, gives cities and counties the option of permitting cars to park within 5 feet of fire hydrants in residential neighborhoods without putting up signs or painting curbs. Santee’s ordinance, exercising that option, goes on the books Jan. 7.

A sampling of other legislative contributions from San Diego County that were passed in 1987 and become law today includes bills that:

Give lifeguards authority to close a beach to the public in case of a disaster or dangerous surf. The bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Sunny Mojonnier (R-Encinitas), was sought by the City of San Diego and the City Lifeguard Assn.

Make possession of certain chemical combinations used to manufacture methamphetamines a felony. Assemblywoman Lucy Killea (D-San Diego) sponsored the bill amid continuing publicity that San Diego County is the “meth capital of the world.”

Increase the penalty for knowingly mutilating or disinterring human remains, a crime that was raised from a misdemeanor to a felony. The change lengthens the statute of limitations on the crime. State Sen. Jim Ellis (R-San Diego) introduced the bill in response to a Descanso case that involved the disturbance of an ancient Indian burial site.

Give judges greater latitude in considering the safety of the public in setting bail for criminal defendants, as well as requiring the California Highway Patrol to respond to missing person’s reports. Both bills were submitted by Stirling in response to the Cara Knott murder case.

Do not require a city, which has accommodated a change of venue trial, to take that criminal once he has been paroled. Public furor last spring over the possible parole of convicted rapist-mutilator Laurence Singleton to San Diego prompted Stirling, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Public Safety, to seek legislation clarifying rules involving parole and change of venue.

Require utilities to provide third-party notice for any utility shut offs, a measure esigned to protect the elderly. Killea sponsored the bill, which is patterned after a program set up by San Diego Gas & Electric Co.

Expand the authority of county marshals to confiscate weapons when they are serving legal papers. Mojonnier submitted the bill at the behest of the county marshal’s office.

Give cities and other public agencies immunity, in most cases, from lawsuits brought by persons injured at beaches that are not patrolled by lifeguards or police.

Such protection has long been sought by the city of San Diego, which has been slapped with numerous costly lawsuits. The tort-liability bill was authored by State Sen. Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach), whose district includes part of North County.

Relieve the Girl Scouts from paying unemployment insurance to teen-agers hired as camp counselors. The old provision was seen as a fiscal drain on scouting; the cleanup bill was submitted by Stirling.

Meanwhile, Santee Councilman Clark and his neighbors are eagerly waiting for the new 5-foot rule for residential fire hydrants to take effect.

The rule does not apply to hydrants in commercial or industrial areas, where fire danger is considered more critical and parking more plentiful.

“There just seemed like an injustice in people not being able to park in front of their homes,” said Clark. “Sometimes you just have to take action on these things.”

Looking back on it, Clark agrees that it was straight from a civics textbook: From the neighborhood’s lips direct to the legislature’s ears, with redress not far behind.