UPDATE: The Coastal Commission is investigating the recent cut down of 150 trees in Seal Beach’s Gum Grove Park.
A commission investigator (“enforcement analyst”) recently contacted the Sun, asking to see photos of the stumps that used to be 150 trees in Gum Grove Park.
If you go to Gum Grove Park, you’ll find a clump of stumps where there used to be a 100-year-old tree grove. As many as 150 trees were recently removed from the city park without the city’s approval or knowledge. The trees were removed from behind a house at 1105 Crestview Avenue. A stonewalkway can be seen in the park, leading from the back gate of the house.
The city attorney’s office is working on recovering the cost of replacing irreplaceable, century-old trees. The city prosecutor’s office is evaluating a police report on the tree removal.
Last week, the City Council meeting in closed session, directed City Attorney Craig Steele to recover costs from the property owner and contractor responsible for removing trees from Gum Grove Park.
Just before the closed session began, several citizens urged the council to take legal action.
This week, Steele said the city is still investigating the full cost of replacing the trees. When that is done, Steele’s law firm will formally demand restitution from the person responsbile for the removal of the trees. If the demanded restitution is not paid, the council authorized the city attorney to sue. Steele said he would not comment on the identity of the person responsible.
According to Steele, assessing the cost of the cut down won’t be easy. “When you lose an old grove of trees, it’s not a simple calculation,” Steele said.
He said it wasn’t like you could go to Home Depot and buy a bunch of trees.
It is possible that criminal charges could be filed in the case. Removing trees from city property is a violation section 9.40.010 of the Municipal Code: “No person shall do any of the following: 1. Remove, cut, destroy, relocate, trim, prune, deface, burn, or otherwise injure any tree, hedge, plant, shrub or flower growing upon city property. 2. Top any tree growing upon city property.”
The code would allow the city prosecutor, who operates independently of the city attorney, the option of prosecuting the case as an adminstrative offense, an infraction or a misdemeanor.
According to Steele, the city prosecutor can make an independent decision whether to file charges. He said elected officials cannot direct the city prosecutor to file charges—a fact he has had to point out to officials in other cities.
Seal Beach Police Sgt. Michael Henderson said the Police Department took the intial report and that report is being evaluated by the city prosecutor.
Gayle Knapp was part of the effort to keep Gum Grove a nature park. She said that perhaps the prosecution would allow the replanting and improvement that the park needs. The Sun tried to phone the residents of the Crestview house. Several wireless calls failed. A call made on a landline reached a recording that said the line was not in service. However, the number for the Crestview house was listed on the Web as a Verizon landline. A company called Frontier recently took over Verizon and some customers in the area have recently reported service difficulties.
