Possible resolution for yard sign controversy?
A Bakersfield resident took down the 40 Days for Life sign in her yard after receiving a violation notice last week from the City of Bakersfield’s Code Enforcement office. Yesterday we were provided with a copy of the violation letter, verifying that the letter did not specify what the violating sign looked like.
While Code Enforcement Officer Dave Paquette had previously stated that the violation notice related to a different sign, the fact that the violation letter did not identify the sign at issue explained why the resident would have thought that the 40 Days for Life sign was the target of the violation notice (if in fact the resident was mistaken). The resident’s other sign had been in the yard for a long time but the 40 Days for Life sign was only posted recently, so in the resident’s mind the 40 Days for Life sign must have triggered the violation notice (and evidence still seems to indicate that this was probably the case).
The controversy was further fueled by Officer Paquette’s assertion that the only signs which are legal in a residential area are “For Sale” signs.
To resolve the controversy, we asked Officer Paquette to send a written statement to the resident informing them that they may place their 40 Days for Life sign back in their yard without fear of a violation notice. Paquette seemed reluctant to do so. If he refuses to send such a statement, this would seem to us to suggest that the code enforcement officers may have intended to target the 40 Days for Life sign all along.
Meanwhile, Councilmember Jacquie Sullivan came to the vigil site Thursday morning and spoke with us at length seeking to address our concerns about the parking issues, crosses, and yard signs. On her way out, she took a sign to post in her own yard!