Opinion: Not a bright Valentine’s Day in Laguna
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From the weekly Laguna Beach Independent comes a story about a couple whose outdoor Valentine’s Day display was shot down by city code enforcement. The love sign -- a large heart outlined in pink lights with an arrow through it -- violated a little-known city ordinance that forbids ‘holiday lights and decorations’ except from Nov. 15 to Jan. 15 of each year.
The law, which is obviously intended to keep people from lazily leaving their Christmas lights hung throughout the year, is a big surprise to the householders who put up big displays for Halloween. In fact, outdoor holiday decoration has become a year-round event pretty much everywhere.
The law isn’t getting much love around town. And it might be skating on thin legal ice. It seems as though the city is saying it’s OK for Christians and Jews to put up holiday decor, because Christmas and Hanukkah fall within the allotted period. But what about followers of other religions who might like to mark their special days with an outdoor display? Can a municipal ordinance discriminate in such a way?
For that matter, what if the heart had been put up not to mark Valentine’s Day but, say, the couple’s anniversary. Then it’s not a holiday display, right?
Cities have the right to set some limits on outdoor displays, just as they have the right to retain the character of neighborhoods with various zoning laws. But not with arbitrary laws that favor some groups over others.
Maybe this could be solved with a rule that limits any household to no more than two months of outdoor displays during the year. Or maybe we should all relax a little and let people have their fun. We could all use a little more celebration in life. What do you think?
-- Karin Klein
