MISSION VIEJO : City Won’t Penalize Firm for Weed Trim

The Mission Viejo Co. will not be penalized for violating the city’s weed abatement ordinance because no sensitive species were harmed during an apparently unauthorized sweep of an 80-acre parcel last month, city officials said.

Several acres of tall vegetation were leveled April 16 before residents of neighboring homes near Vista del Lago and Los Alisos Boulevard saw the heavy machinery operating in the fields and alerted city officials, who stopped the weeding.

“They did violate the weeding ordinance,” said Loren Anderson, assistant city engineer. “But because no sensitive species were harmed, city staff decided not to penalize them.”

Under city law, any large-scale weeding must first be reviewed by the Planning Commission. Anderson said the company did turn in an application for a weeding permit, but the weed abatement on company-owned property hadn’t been approved by the commission.

Asked if company officials thought they had violated the weed abatement law, Mission Viejo Co. spokeswoman Jo Schetter said, “All questions about the fire hazard are being referred to City Engineer Dennis Wilberg.”

Commissioners did allow the Mission Viejo Co. on Monday to proceed with weed abatement at three sites but limited operations to powered hand tools.

The ordinance was enacted in 1991 after the Mission Viejo Co. drew the wrath of local environmentalists who claimed the firm cleared an 85-acre parcel on El Toro Road that contained endangered species.

Mission Viejo Co. officials said they were managing a potential fire hazard imposed by the dry, overgrown brush as part of an annual weed maintenance program.