Local News in Brief : Council Adopts Tree Policy

The Rancho Palos Verdes City Council has approved a tree policy that it hopes will offer a friendly way for neighbors to resolve disputes about whether trees along city streets are impairing views and should be pruned, removed or left alone.

At issue are city-owned trees generally planted more than 25 years ago along sidewalks and streets. To some residents these trees offer privacy and shade, while others find that they obscure views of city lights or the ocean.

The new measure allows a resident to apply to have an obstructing tree pruned or removed at the resident’s expense. If the city determines that a tree blocks a view, a notice of the tree’s impending pruning or removal will be sent to the owner of the property next to it. That resident can appeal the matter to a special view committee.

Trees on private property are not covered by the ordinance. Most of the trees not on private property were planted along city streets by the developers. The city now strictly regulates the kinds of trees that may be planted along public ways.

While the ordinance covers all city-owned trees, the council agreed to a request from one resident who asked that the city consider paying for the cost of pruning trees in city parks if they are obstructing a residential view.