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Don’t make a stink in SLO

March 19, 2015

Titlecard_Something_SmellsThe San Luis Obispo City Council majority plans to ban foul odors that creep across property lines. [New Times]

Mayor Jan Marx, Councilman John Ashbaugh and Councilwoman Carlyn Christianson voted in favor of the proposed “odor nuisance” ordinance at Tuesday’s council meeting. The proposal will become a city ordinance if a majority of the council approves it again at an upcoming meeting.

Over the past couple years, city staffers have received complaints about an undesirable scent emanating a from medical marijuana grow in the backyard of a San Luis Obispo home. When the council failed to adopt a proposed medical marijuana ban, staff responded by drafting the foul odor ordinance.

If adopted, the ordinance will mandate that city staff receive three verified complaints from neighboring property owners before deeming an odor a public nuisance. Once the city determines that an odor is a public nuisance, code enforcers can issue citations to the property owner.

Councilmen Dan Carpenter and Dan Rivoire cast the two dissenting votes. Carpenter said the ordinance will be a nightmare to enforce, and Rivoire said neighbors should be able to resolve odor issues among themselves.

Marx said the ordinance will help the community get along better.


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What happens if I make bad odors while standing on my roof?


This ordinance is completely unenforceable. And a waste of time.


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No drinking on the roof, no farting on the roof. If you’re on the 20 psf roof it’s because you, or a half dozen or so roofers who could admittedly hit the salad bar, are working on it.


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So nowhere have I seen the complaints published that spell out what the SLO City

Council references as a basis for this ordinance.

What is the complaint? Ok, I get it it’s about pot smell, they need to just say it and stop

diluting it with the word “odor”……now here’s my questions;

Is this “smell” a constant 24/7 thing? Or does it just waft over the fence once in a while?

Is there any identified health risks posed by this “smell”?

Also, because the council couldn’t ban medical marijuana, this is their answer? Very sad back door tactic by Marx’s, Christianson and assbag.

Before the mayor and the other two “quick to react” council members finalize a vote on

this ordinance, they need to do some research into the current complaints to see if there

is any valid reason other than fining people, that this ordinance is needed and that issues cant be mitigated another way.


The statement that this will help the community get along better is proof the mayor has noclue about personal interactions and is out of touch with the realities of human nature.


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I guess the Mayor will have to move.


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Physical abuse, mental abuse, smelly smells and now media stench. Why not include ugly ugly and ugly ideas?


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Look, she’s doing the best she can. We all deserve the right to enjoy our home. This ordinance doesn’t need to be enforced. It’s just a way to get people to respect the rights of others. Why is that so hard? What is this attitude about ‘well screw you, I can do what I want, when I want, cuz it’s my property. Nah nah.’

I once lived in an upstairs condo in which the folks downstairs chain smoked cigarettes outside. So unless I wanted the smoke to permeate my house, I had to close all windows. Is that right? I wasn’t able to enjoy my balcony – ever. As a homeowner.


Everyone needs to stop being so self serving and respect the fellow human once in a while. Stop being so damn narcissistic.


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So, an ordinance that doesn’t need to be enforced?

What, sir, is the point of that?


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Well, I thought I would comment. But I’ve quickly realized that those commenting here don’t really want to work things out, they just want to bitch. So, keep bitching and whining about everything. Try your best not to work anything out. Have a nice life.


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Before you take your ball and go home, why don’t you explain how you think this would ‘work things out’?


Personally, I’m for working things out without Jan, Christianson, and Ashbaugh stepping all over me to do it.


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I personally am too. But the main problem is that most adults behave like children, so we have to have government figures make rules for us. Unfortunately, because people are incapable of asking themselves how their own actions might affect another, you need people like Marx and Crew to come in and make a rule, right?


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Not if it’s a rule you don’t intend to, or can’t enforce.

Sorry 65, we don’t need rules like that, just a big waste of time and something for lawyers to argue about.


Rules that mean something, and actually make a difference, yes.

Rules that make Jan and her crew think they’re making a difference? No, I do not need Jan and crew to help me anymore.


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I am not a child and do not need Marx as a babysitter.


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Ok, then. But you see what I’m saying, right?

This is one of the reasons I chose to leave Slo city. It’s like Congress. Just simply cannot work together to find common ground and a resolution.


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What,sir, is the point of intentionally being a turd?


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So we can selectively enforce this new ordinance against people you and Marx don’t like? Bullshit.


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What about respecting other people’s right to grow something in their back yard? Who is being self serving here? Anyway, there is a mechanism already in place to handle civil matters between neighbors and it’s called the courts. If the problem isn’t so big that you need to take it to court, then you should probably get over it.


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Right then. Respect my right to keep a family of skunks in my b/y. Who’d be crying foul now?


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Already in place, a regulation that prohibits keeping wild animals such as raccoons, skunks etc, don’t need another one.


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Electra, Gran Sport, LeSabre, Riveiera, Wildcat, or Skylark??????


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Yes


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I have a dog who is highly trained to sniff out certain odors, maybe I should see if the city wants to hire us to sniff out the bad odors.


As someone who knows how to work with a detection dog and a thing or two about how smells move this is a joke.


Cool weather vs hot weather, wet vs dry surface, is the odor high or low, where is the outside edge of the “odor cone”, what distractions may be out there, I could go on and on and on.


Is it my direct neighbor or my neighbors neighbor where the odor is coming from?


So if my neighbors house catches fire and I don’t like the smell, who do I call the police or the fire dept.


this is laughable but I am sure Slo thinks this is a good idea.


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“Marx said the ordinance will help the community get along better.”

Sure it will, I am vegan and I believe that cooking wood over fire outside is carcinogenic, the smell is revolting and can in fact make a body sick, so I am going to turn in anyone who barbecues in my neighborhood.

Yeah, I can see that as making my community get along better! You’re living in the wrong country Jan, I am sure there are several communist countries that would fall in line with your “take all their rights away” attitude. You are a menace to society, Jan Marx. We are not all children that need to be told how to get along. Enough with your ridiculous, I don’t like it, I am going to ban it.


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The irony of Jan’s last name is not lost. Get along better… no, you just gave feuding neighbors the power to persecute via the state, nice job!


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Probably have to be via the initiative process, but how about an ordinance against stupid self-serving ordinances?


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This is going to be fun, my neighbor complains when I make too much noise playing music, and now I get to return the favor against her for smoking odor and my other neighbor because he works on his car all the time and I can smell the gas and oil. And there is the guy across the street who leaves his garbage bins out for three days every week, and the other guy who parks his motor home in front of his house when he has company.If anyone knows of any more nuisances i can waste our city’s resources on please let me know.


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“odor nuisance” ?


Her father Karl would be soooooo proud…


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