(4 Apr 2019) Towering dinosaurs stand among fanciful mushrooms in the sloping backyard. A life-sized Fred Flintstone welcomes visitors near the front door. And by the driveway on the lawn is a giant "Yabba Dabba Do" sign in orange and purple and red.
The latest battle in the war between government rules and property rights is going down in a posh San Francisco suburb where a retired publishing mogul has installed an elaborate homage to the stone-age Flintstone family.
The controversy over the "Flintstone" house, visible from a nearby highway, has sparked international media coverage and an online petition signed by thousands to save landscaping inspired by characters from the 1960s cartoon.
The town of Hillsborough says Florence Fang's multimillion-dollar property is a "public nuisance" and an "eyesore," and filed a lawsuit in state court last month to make her remove the unpermitted garden installations.
An attorney for the 84-year-old says snobby officials want to squelch Fang's constitutional right to enjoy her yard and promises a vigorous fight.
"Nobody thinks it's a nuisance except for the town of Hillsborough. So I think that we will prove that in this lawsuit that people love this place. It's not a nuisance", said Angela Alioto, a former San Francisco supervisor whose father, Joseph Alioto, was San Francisco mayor from 1968 to 1976.
The oddly shaped, bulbous house, currently painted red and purple, was designed by architect William Nicholson and built in 1976. Fang, a prominent philanthropist who once published the San Francisco Examiner, purchased the property in June 2017 for $2.8 million. She does not live at the house, but uses it to entertain.
The whimsical front yard has statues of Barney and Betty Rubble along with Fred and Wilma. A sign reads "No Dino Allowed," and features a purple cartoon dinosaur. Colorful mushrooms dot the front and back. A steep staircase, deemed unsafe by town officials, leads to a garden of giant metal prehistoric animals.
Mark Hudak, an attorney for Hillsborough, says the town prides itself on its rural, woodsy feel and rules are in place.
"What is at issue is the installation of dinosaur and animal statues, Yabba Dabba Do signs, lots of other decorations - all of which need a design review and building permits, which she didn't have," Hudak said.
Government has the right to enforce public safety codes, and to ensure property owners don't impinge on the rights of other property owners, said Tim Iglesias, a property professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law. Private property has been regulated in the United States since colonial times, he noted.
But Iglesias says it's unusual for a homeowner to ignore three work-stop orders issued by the city, as the March 13 complaint states Fang did. She also ignored an administrative order to remove the installations by Dec. 5, 2018, although she paid a $200 fine.
At a media tour of the property this week, Alioto said Fang will respond to the lawsuit with a counter-claim, but she declined to discuss specifics.
But she said that Fang's constitutional rights to free speech and religion were violated. Fang was not made available for an interview.
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