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Morro Bay councilman says vehicle code not for locals

November 29, 2013

Morro Bay Councilman George Leage said last week that only non-locals are prohibited from parking in Morro Bay red zones, according to a video submitted by a resident.

Leage, who was standing outside his residence at his family’s sushi restaurant Off the Hook, moved his red SUV out of the red zone shortly after noting it was properly parked.

Nevertheless, California Vehicle Code along with a Morro Bay City ordinance forbids parking in a red zone.

“Red indicates no stopping, standing, or parking, whether the vehicle is attended or unattended. Except that a bus may stop in a red zone marked or sign posted as a bus loading zone,” according to the California Vehicle Code Section 21458.Screen Shot 2013-11-26 at 3.40.31 PM

Screen Shot 2013-11-29 at 9.08.25 AM


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I don’t know Mr. Leage and up until this video was posted I couldn’t have told you what he even looks like plus I don’t live in Morro Bay either so I don’t have any agenda.


However, Mr. Leage made a comment that may or may not be true with regards to the red zones that are painted along the two driveway cuts but should at least be investigated further. That being, are those red zones legitimate red curbing or did someone just paint them red on their own?.


The reason why I raise this point is because the owner of the Estero Inn painted 2 parking spaces in front of his business White and stenciled in Passenger Loading Zone Estero Inn Only. Subsequently after some inquires with the Public Works Director who passed the issue on to the now departed City Attorney the Estero Inn Only wording was removed. But it was done without prior City knowledge or approval.


The White zone is now typically occupied by guests of the Hotel who place parking passes on their dash so the Inn will not call the police and have them ticketed. Basically the owner created his own private parking on a public street.


So I wouldn’t be at all surprised if someone just went out and painted the drive cuts red and use those spaces as their own private parking spots knowing most folks won’t park in a red zone.


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I live near a school and there are red curbs everywhere!! People around here never park in a red zone, but I can see having your very own private ‘red zone’ would guarantee that no one else would park there when you were gone. Those ‘special red zone, white zone, blue zone parkers’ must be laughing their heads off at the rest of us who obey the don’t park here laws. I think I also saw cones out in front of that motel to prevent the average parker from parking there. Oh my gosh, how many private arrangements are there down at the waterfront? Special living units, special parking places, I wonder how the City employees keep up with all these ‘look the other way’ situations. It is like some Disney land world for the in folks.


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Hmmmm, very interesting, brettmx. I wonder if that is what Leage meant :)


I don’t think it’s legal to paint curbs on a public street for one’s personal convenience. There used to be a group in San Francisco that sneaked around at night painting red curbs grey to create more parking. They were eventually caught by the police, who were NOT amused.


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http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/10/local/la-me-adv-fake-beach-parking-20111110


Do-it-yourself parking bans in Malibu

The California Coastal Commission fights a losing battle against homeowners who post illegal ‘No Parking’ signs. Some look so official that even authorities are misled.

November 10, 2011|By Tony Barboza, Los Angeles Times


Real or fake? “No Parking” signs in Malibu sometimes look so official that it’s hard to tell.


Real or fake? “No Parking” signs in Malibu sometimes look so… (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles…)


Most drivers roar right by the red and white signs on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, but Pat Veesart slows down and calls them out one by one.


“Almost guaranteed it’s not a legitimate sign,” says Veesart, a baseball cap pushed back on his head as he steers his rust-spotted Jeep down the highway. Veesart has a skilled eye for spotting suspicious “No Parking” signs.


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I remember him, great guy


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The M.B. Police Dept. has to be in on his scheme since George Leage and other known wealthy businessmen can park in that RED Zone and not be ticketed. (George’s words not mine…)


If you or I or a tourist parked in that RED zone the M.B. Police would ticket us…


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what this town needs is a big group-hug.


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Better have them run through a scanner first or some of those hugs will be made with sharp objects in hand.


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If the people who filmed this video are an example of Jamie Irons supporters, it’s just another reason to sign the recall petition. Call 464-8798 and someone will bring it to you. If these people are representative of the rest of the Irons supporters then they are petty people indeed.


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If I call and ask someone to come out and bring the petition, are they going to block my driveway?


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The people who made the video might just be part of the majority who are sick and tired of the behavior of a small group of residents – the special interest group made up of some (definitely not all) of the Embarcadero merchants, developers, and real estate people. They think they own this town and do whatever they please because they have connections and know they can get away with it.


At least, they used to be able to get away with it. That’s changing under honest leadership, and the scofflaws don’t like that – so they want to get rid of that honest leadership so they can go back to the good old days when they could violate the law without any negative repercussions.


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It seems there is a small minority of people like you here in this town, you most likely came from someplace else and now that your retired and living in a small town you think that you can impose your ideals on the rest of us,wrong, the people that you call the special interest group can’t do anything without going thru the same rule process that everyone else does,I don’t see MB being drasticly changed or ruined over the last 40 years by the developers or special interest people as you call it.

The biggest problem we have is people like betty windholtz, she has made a problem of herself for years and yet people like you think thats OK she now is suing the coastal commission for not making things go her way in the fight against Troy League for putting a staircase to an office and now Troy will have to pay the fees for what it cost the CC to fight this crazy nut,and you think thats OK,I’ll tell you what why don’t you go back to where you came from and take up a good cause in the Ghetto.


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You couldn’t have illustrated mbactivist1’s point any better. Only a person that feels they own a town tells other people who can, can’t, should and shouldn’t live there. This feeling of ownership you have is an illusion and is a big part of the problem. You find it in all small towns, maybe more so in Morro Bay. Citizens of the United States of America don’t like being told where they can go in their own country.


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Yes, I came here from a small town and it was the same there. It seems that some of the little fish swimming in a little pond start getting the idea that they are very big, important fish, and can do anything they want.


As a result, they think nothing of ignoring, defying,and testing not only local laws, but State laws, and the limits of the authority of State agencies. It comes as a shock to them when that doesn’t work. The people in charge of those agencies turn out to be bigger fish, and they have big teeth.


It comes as an even bigger shock when the other fish in the small pond band together to rise up and take over. The demographic of Morro Bay is changing. Younger people who want this to be a good place to raise their families are moving in and, like so many of the older and long-term residents do not like the dishonest dealings they have seen in local government.


In June, 2012, the dissatisfied majority seized control from the complacent minority, and the members of that minority have been furious ever since.


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I agree with much of your post but this isn’t a newcomer thing. I am a relatively new resident but have nothing in common with these nuts. This is more of the class warfare bull practiced by our Community Organizer President and those like him that want to confiscate and redistribute wealth earned by those that worked to have it and give to those that believe government owes it to them.


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It’s YOU who keeps promoting “class warfare” along with your endless supply of divisive cliches.


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Bigoted attitudes from self-described “locals” who think they should have special privileges and should have the right to deny basic rights to others who they deem are not “local” enough, are disgusting and do nothing to make our community a better place.


It really doesn’t matter where someone came from or when they came. They have the same rights as you and I do and for anyone to discriminate against them for their place of origin or length of residences is despicable and denigrates our community.


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Where does anyone say that the “locals” believe any of that. Just more of the rhetoric from those that have nothing, do nothing and want government to redistribute wealth to them.


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You have got to be kidding me,everybody parks in that red driveway,Jaime form Otter rock parks there,sarge from the electric boat rentals parks there,Joe parks there,I park there,its a driveway,the cops don’t/won’t ticket for parking there,we park in the drive ways on the front street side also,no one gets a ticket.

The Blue Sail Inn just above front street owns the empty lot and they don’t use it for anything and have no reason to get into it.


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That doesn’t sound like “everybody” to me. I don’t park in driveways, and I don’t park at any curb that looks the least bit red or blue. As a result, I don’t have to worry about tickets or being caught on film in a compromising situation.


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So why is it red and who painted? Did the City paint it? If so, they need to enforce it. If not the City, and the curb belongs to the City is it vandalism? I go to the Otter Rock frequently and will not look to park there. If I get ticketed, I will have the police give it to Mr. Leage with a copy of this video…


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it is 4:37 pm right now and his SUV is parked in front of a driveway and has been for at least an hour. I see cops driving all over town but there isn’t one that could stop and give him a ticket?


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A ticket for what? What is the VC or MB ordinance that prohibits parking in front of any driveway?

I love this mob mentality.


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We really don’t have to tell you why your statement is ridiculous, do we?


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No, please cite the violation.


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Few posts down – your favorite person.


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But even without the code, did you really get through driver’s ed without learning it’s illegal to block a driveway?


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And we all know that she is an expert in all things, just like the price of the treatment plant being over inflated, but, her friend does know better than the people that to that for a living.


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California Vehicle Code Section 22500, Prohibited Stopping Standing or Parking:


“No person shall stop, park, or leave standing any vehicle whether attended or unattended, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a peace officer or official traffic control device, in any of the following places:

…


e) In front of a public or private driveway, except that a bus engaged as a common carrier, schoolbus, or a taxicab may stop to load or unload passengers when authorized by local authorities pursuant to an ordinance. “


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There’s no driveway there. It’s chained off.


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If you put a chain across your driveway you no longer have a driveway? What is it then?


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Well we certainly won’t take your “unbiased” word about the legality of it. It is probably the same “driveway” to an empty lot that was not designated by the city as a no parking area, but, painted years ago by someone that had interest in the property no longer in use.


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uh?


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Good Lord!! This is such NON news. People do park there, not just Mr. Leage. Try taking a video for the loading zone in Giovanni’s parking lot to see how many “non loading” vehicles park there on busy weekends. I’m not saying it’s right to park there or that Mr. Leage made a poor comment, what bothers me the most as this is starting to seem like a Witch Hunt towards those that disagree with some of the actions by part of our city council.


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Maybe the next story will be better. They said on KVEC the other day that there was going to be a Morro Bay story coming out every couple of days for the next two months or so.


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A lot of people consider the recall a witch hunt.


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This is clearly the epitome of pettiness.


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Gee! Slow news day or what?


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Oh my god!!! He did not turn on his blinker when her turned the corner down by Gio’s. That is cause for ARREST!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Iron’s pack is really getting desperate aren’t they. And Karen, REALLY? Is this all you have?


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why would you have to turn on your blinker when there’s only one way to turn?


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Funny to see Mr. Lewis, notorious violator of all laws in MB, behind this video. You see him come into the video at the end and talk to the camera person. By the way, the area that is painted red is not a curb. Its a driveway that is chained off and goes nowhere because the lot is vacant. Cities don’t paint driveways red.


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A driveway? Allow me to direct your attention to California Vehicle Code Section 22500, Prohibited Stopping Standing or Parking:


“No person shall stop, park, or leave standing any vehicle whether attended or unattended, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a peace officer or official traffic control device, in any of the following places:

…


e) In front of a public or private driveway, except that a bus engaged as a common carrier, schoolbus, or a taxicab may stop to load or unload passengers when authorized by local authorities pursuant to an ordinance. “


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mbacticvist: Go down and look at the curb cut in question, and you will realize how silly you sound. You are grasping for something that isn’t there.


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It isn’t so much about parking in the wrong place. Anyone could accidentally do that when in a hurry or in the dark when colors on curbs are hard to see. It’s about what Leage had to say about it. Had he not made the comments he did, I doubt very much if CCN would have put this online. It’s the attitude that’s the news.


As for grasping for something that isn’t there, the video does show that he was parked in front of a red curb and a driveway and over some striping on the pavement that does NOT look like marking for a legal place to park.


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What a crock! You know very well that is the empty lot north of Sun n Buns that is roped off and is not used. He blocked nothing.


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What if the owners of that lot needed to get in there? Would they have to go around searching for George Leage and wait for a time when it is convenient for him?


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Ha! At least they’d know where to find him – in his illegal residence right across the street!


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Get in for what? Move the dirt and stones? It is a driveway to nothing.


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Wouldn’t it be nice if that was left up to the property owners? I assume you’re a big property-rights guy.


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I am betting he really doesnt have better things to focus on. Retired from the Power Plant now only has his “Kingdom” to rule.


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With their hands out too?


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She has never been on the Embarcadero !!


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EXCEPT when she cruises with her expensive sports car with the top down….flashing how cute she thinks she looks..on her way to the golf course to irritate other golfers who just don’t think she is as cute as she thinks she is.


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I think this is what the Moderator refers to as “trying to out” someone – I refer to it as “desperation”.


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I wonder who they are talking about? I wish I could afford an expensive sports car and play golf. Kalalau is obviously thinking of one of the recallers. They’re the ones with all the money :)


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I learn so much about myself here. Last I heard I was an elderly, overweight, chain-smoking woman from a big city that drives a beat-up, oil-burning pink VW Bug and wears Birkenstocks. Busted! (These are the people that want to run Morro Bay again?)


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why would she go down on the embracadero on her way to the golf course? It’s out of the way. you just keep going down Main street and it will take you to the golf course then you turn up that road before the inns at morro bay and have a couple drinks in the clubhouse and then drive away.


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Reading your post just made me think of something. Where is Kevin Ice with his codes and ordinances? usually he’s listed about a hundred of them by now.


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Just another guy with his hand out.


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