Palo Alto City Attorney's Office Publicizes Criminal Complaint
Press Release

City Files Charges in Visibility Case, 4/10/02
City of Palo Alto, California
Press Release, issued by Lance Bayer
A quote from the press release: "The charges were filed after appeals from neighbors and orders from City code enforcement staff failed."
Responses from the Defendent
Kay Leibrand
No "appeals" from neighbors were made directly to me or my husband. Because code enforcement complaints are made anonymously, I have no way of how many "appeals" were made to whom.
City code enforcement staff failed to answer questions concerning their "orders".
Of course, a case is public once a criminal complaint is filed. But issuing a press release all but ensures that the case is tried in the press and in the media. Perhaps this is the city's way of publicizing a safety program but it looks a lot like intimidation.
Letter to Palo Alto City Council
A quote from the letter: "When a case is tried in the press, reporters and editors are under severe time constraints. The stories contain omissions and exaggerations. Mistakes occur. Misleading statements are made. Was this really the Palo Alto legal consultant's strategy?"

newspaper Media Response (Partial Compilation)

This list is under construction. Web references and additional information will be provided as available.

The Palo Alto Daily News which published the initial story does not maintain an online archive.
The Palo Alto Weekly does maintain an online archive but only allows links to its homepage.
Many other news organizations provide online news but only maintain the most recent events.
City enforces foliage law, 4/11/02
Palo Alto Daily News, page 1, continued on page 47
Article by Tami Min
Woman surprised by hedge enforcement, 4/12/02
Palo Alto Daily News, page 9
Article by Tami Min
Shrub scofflaw digs in, 4/12/02
San Jose Mercury News, page 1, continued on 20A
Article by Ann E. Marimow, Photos by Judith Dalson
KCBS Radio 740 AM, 4/12/02
phone interview with Jim Taylor
KGO Radio 810 AM, 4/12/02
phone interview with Jennifer Hodges
KTVU TV Channel 2, 4/12/02
10 o'clock News, on-site coverage and interview by Bob MacKenzie
Online summary
KNTV TV Channel 3, 4/12/02
on-site coverage and interview by Ben Mohr
KRON TV Channel 4, 4/12/02
Woman Faces Jail For Height Of Shrubs, on-site coverage and interview by Melissa MacBride
KPIX TV Channel 5, 4/12/02
Eyewitness News at 11, on-site coverage and interview by Tony Russomanno
KGO TV Channel 7, 4/12/02
on-site coverage and interview
Online summary
Shrub Height & Street Visibility, 4/12/02 through 2/10/03
NeighborSpace
Online opinion postings section coordinated by Mike Kahn, initiated by Marcie Brown
The Palo Alto Police Department, 4/14/02
San Jose Mercury News, page 3B
Item in Peaks&Valleys Column
KZSU Stanford Radio 90.1FM, 4/15/02
Call-in Show and Panel Discussion moderated by Adam Kolber
Temporary link to San Jose Mercury News 4/12/02 story, 4/15/02
Strike the Root, an online journal edited and published by Rob Moody
Setting the Record Straight, 4/16/02
San Jose Mercury News, page 2A
Correction by David Tepps
A quote: "The headline incorrectly described Kay Leibrand as a scofflaw."
Woman finds sympathy for case, 4/17/02
Palo Alto Daily News, page 5
Article by Tami Min
Palo Alto woman beats around the bush, 4/17/02
Palo Alto Weekly, page 3
Article by Daniel Velton, Photo by Kate Robertson
A High Hedge Brings Brush With the Law, 4/21/02
Los Angeles Times
Article by Karen Alexander
Request for corrections to Palo Alto Weekly, 4/21/02
Letter to Editor Jay Thorwaldson
Jay Thorwaldson did phone and review the complaints one by one.
Waste and Abuse, Home Owners Run Afoul of Bush-League Laws, 4/22/02
Insight magazine
Article by Sean Paige
Corrections, 5/8/02
Palo Alto Weekly, page 10
Corrects some errors which appeared in the 4/17/02 article referenced above.
Arrested for too tall shrubs?, 5/10/02
Palo Alto Weekly, page 5
Home and Real Estate Column by Harold A. Justman
A bush-league arrest, 5/15/02
Palo Alto Weekly, page 26
Editorial apparently by Jay Thorwaldson
Woman in hedge case to be arraigned today, 5/29/02
Palo Alto Daily News, page 9
Article by Tami Min
Woman pleads not guilty to city's charge she let streetside shrubs grow too high, 5/30/02
San Jose Mercury News, page 3B
Woman's shrub case continued, 6/29/02
Palo Alto Daily News, page 7
Criminal Trial for Too-Tall Plants, 9/18/02
Palo Alto Weekly, page 6
Item in the "Around Town" column
City hacks man's palm, 1/25/03
Palo Alto Daily News, page 1, continued on page 50
Article by Tami Min, Photo by Tony Avelar
Mentions Kay Leibrand's arrest and court case in connection with other instances of Palo Alto code enforcement.
Shrubbery charges on hold, 2/11/03
Palo Alto Daily News, page 5
Article by Tami Min
Stumps named after top city officials, 2/21/03
Palo Alto Daily News, page 1, continued on page 61
Article by Tami Min, Photo by Tony Avelar
NBC TV Channel 11, 2/21/03
on-site coverage and interview
City Stumped, 3/1/03
Palo Alto Daily News, page 8
Letter to the Editor by Richard J. Herndon
City auditor puts spotlight on code enforcement tonight, 3/11/03
Palo Alto Daily News, page 5
Article by Tami Min
Safety was not mentioned even once in the 3-column article on code enforcement.
Steve Emslie is quoted, "Most people do the right thing once they're told."
One might ask if most city code enforcers do the right thing when their "orders" are questioned.
City administrators did NOT answer questions but did make a CRIMINAL arrest.
Paraphasing Edward R. Murrow, "Having the right to do it doesn't mean it is the right thing to do."
Shattered Dreams: One Hundred Stories of Government Abuse, 2003
National Center for Public Policy Research, page 53
Barking Charge was ridiculous, 4/25/03
Palo Alto Daily News, page 8
Editorial apparently by Dave Price
A quote: "... people in our city government -- whether they are cops, code enforcers or council members -- have too much time on their hands, and that they're using tax dollars to persue silly concerns."
Such savagery threatens P.A. to the very core, 5/11/03
San Jose Mercury News, page 1B
Column by Scott Herhold
Lists the Leibrand hedge case in "the sorry litany of failure" of Palo Alto government.

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