Trees Get Reprieve From Yorba Linda Chain Saw Massacre

The 25 jacarandas lining Rose Drive and Bastanchury Road in Yorba Linda got a stay of execution this week when the City Council voted 3 to 2 to reconsider an earlier decision to chop down the trees.

The council authorized their removal last month after some residents complained that the trees, which have small purple flowers, were littering backyards and choking spa filters with their sticky blossoms and leaves.

Councilman Henry W. Wedaa, absent from the earlier session, raised the issue again Tuesday, saying he had 17 phone calls from people opposed to felling the trees, which were to come down later this month.

“People stopped me everywhere to talk about this--in the supermarket, at Mimi’s, in the post office,” he said.

Admitting that he is “somewhat of a tree-hugger,” Wedaa said he feels that removing the trees would diminish the beauty of the neighborhood.

City staff members also recommended keeping the jacarandas because they are healthy and full-grown. The city generally does not remove trees unless they are diseased.

Councilman Mark Schwing, who had voted earlier to cut down the trees, moved to reconsider, saying, “There’s a whole lot of people who’d like this reheard.”

Mayor Ken Ryan, who cast the solitary vote last month to keep the jacarandas, said he still feels that way.

“These are city trees, and I think we have the global responsibility as council members to protect them,” the mayor said. “These trees are one of the reasons our city is so beautiful.”

Council members John M. Gullixson and Barbara W. Kiley stood by their earlier vote to remove the trees, saying nearly all homeowners in the area want them chopped down.

Like the council, residents are sharply divided on the issue.

“These trees have caused nothing but damage,” Marion Whisler told the council Tuesday. “Sidewalks are cracked. Fences are split. It’s a big problem for us.”

But Carol Cantwell pleaded for the jacarandas.

“They’re messy and inconvenient,” she said. “They may create more work for everybody. But that is not a reason to cut down beautiful trees.”

The issue will be the City Council’s June 20 agenda.