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A32 FEATURE
Friday 5 april 2019

Yabba dabba don’t: California town rejects Flintstones house

By JANIE HAR paid a $200 fine.
Associated Press “This is a situation where a
HILLSBOROUGH, Calif. (AP) very wealthy, sophisticated
— Towering dinosaurs stand homeowner has basically
among fanciful mushrooms thumbed her nose at the
in the sloping backyard. city consistently,” he said.
A life-sized Fred Flintstone “If they let her get away,
welcomes visitors near then all the other wealthy
the front door. And by the people in Hillsborough can
driveway on the lawn is a say, ‘Hey, I can do whatev-
giant “Yabba Dabba Do” er I want with my property.
sign in orange, purple and Who cares about the plan-
red. ning department?’”
The latest battle in the At a media tour of the
war between government property this week, Alioto
rules and property rights is said Fang will respond to
playing out in a posh San the lawsuit with a counter-
Francisco suburb, where claim, but she declined to
a retired publishing mo- discuss specifics. She said
gul has installed an elabo- Fang’s constitutional rights
rate homage to “The Flint- to free speech and religion
stones” family. The bold, were violated. Fang was
bulbous house is surround- not made available for an
ed by Stone Age sculptures This Monday, April 1, 2019 photo, shows an aerial view of the Flintstone House in Hillsborough, Calif interview.
inspired by the 1960s car- Associated Press “They want everything re-
toon, along with aliens and moved. They want the di-
other oddities. old says snobby officials Betty Rubble, along with she still has to go through nosaurs removed,” Alioto
The controversy has want to squelch Fang’s Fred and Wilma. A sign the process like everyone said. “They wanted her to
sparked international me- constitutional right to enjoy reads “No Dino Allowed” else,” he said. put a tree in front of the di-
dia coverage and an her yard, and promises a and features a purple car- Government has the right nosaur, so you couldn’t see
online petition signed by vigorous fight. toon dinosaur. Colorful to enforce public safe- the dinosaur.”
thousands to preserve the “Mrs. Fang has made peo- mushroom sculptures dot ty codes, and to ensure David Levine, who special-
attention-grabbing prop- ple smile, she’s giving them the front and back. A steep property owners don’t im- izes in civil litigation and
erty, visible from a nearby joy. What’s not to love staircase, deemed unsafe pinge on the rights of other remedies at the Univer-
highway. about Dino, who acts like by town officials, leads to a property owners, said Tim sity of California Hastings
The 2,730-square-foot a dog?” said Angela Ali- garden of giant metal pre- Iglesias, a property profes- College of the Law, said
(254-square-meter) house oto, a former San Francisco historic animals. sor at the University of San property owners flout per-
itself is not at stake, but supervisor. “What is wrong Mark Hudak, an attorney Francisco School of Law. mit regulations all the time.
the town of Hillsborough with these people?” for Hillsborough, says the Private property has been Usually, they pay a fine and
says Florence Fang’s mul- The oddly shaped house, town prides itself on its ru- regulated in the United correct any safety issues.
timillion-dollar property is currently painted red and ral, woodsy feel, and rules States since colonial times, And as for which party
a public nuisance and an purple, was designed by are in place “so neighbors he noted. might prevail in court?
eyesore. architect William Nichol- don’t have to look at your But Iglesias says it’s unusual “You have to figure out:
Officials filed a lawsuit in son and built in 1976. Fang, version of what you would for a homeowner to ignore Who’s the twit? They’re go-
state court last month to a prominent philanthro- like to have, and you don’t three work-stop orders is- ing to rule against the one
make her remove the un- pist who once published have to look at theirs.” sued by the city, as the that’s being a twit,” he
permitted garden installa- the San Francisco Exam- The case is simple, he said. March 13 complaint states said. “Is the twit the hom-
tions. Fang does not live in iner, bought the property in “Whether she is building a Fang did. She also ignored eowner that ignored all the
the house but uses it to en- June 2017 for $2.8 million. project with amusing car- an administrative order to orders or the twits saying,
tertain. The whimsical front yard toon characters or Rodin remove the installations by ‘We don’t like Wilma and
An attorney for the 84-year- has statues of Barney and statues or anything else, Dec. 5, 2018, although she Betty?’ “q

In this photo taken Monday, April 1, 2019, figurines of Barney and Betty Rubble
stand outside the Flintstone House in Hillsborough, Calif. In this photo taken Monday, April 1, 2019, is the kitchen inside the Flintstone House
Associated Press in Hillsborough, Calif.
Associated Press