The City Council is dedicated to a program to beautify the City and to encourage the planting of more trees.
(Prior code § 7501; Ord. 44 § 1 1957)
The City Council shall, by resolution, approve a list of trees acceptable for planting on streets within the City.
(Prior code § 7511; Ord. 44 § 2, 1957; prior code Am. No. 67 § 2, 1970)
The City Manager shall exercise jurisdiction and control over the planting, maintenance, care and removal of trees, palms, shrubs or plants in all streets or other public highways of the City and shall have such power, authority, jurisdiction and duties as are prescribed in this chapter.
(Prior code § 7531; Ord. 44 § 4, 1957)
No tree, palm, shrub or plant shall be planted in any of the streets or other public highway of the City until the City Manager has first approved the kind and variety, designated the location therefor, and granted the permit for planting the same.
(Prior code § 7541; Ord. 44 § 5, 1957)
A. 
No person, firm or corporation shall, without a permit from the City Manager, remove, destroy, break, cut, trim, deface or in any other way injure or interfere with any tree, palm, shrub or plant that is now or may hereafter be growing in any street or other public highway of the City.
B. 
Such permit shall specifically describe the work to be done thereunder, and such permit shall be void after 30 days from the date of issuance.
C. 
The cost of removal of any tree, palm, shrub or plant for the benefit or convenience of the property owner shall be paid for by such property owner.
(Prior code §§ 7542—7544; Ord. 44 § 6, 1957)
No person, firm or corporation shall hitch or fasten any horse or animal to any tree, palm, shrub or plant now or hereafter growing in any street, or other public highway of the City; nor shall any person, firm or corporation cause or permit any horse or other animal to stand or be near enough to any tree, palm, shrub or plant to bite or rub against or in any manner injure or deface the same; nor shall any person, firm or corporation place a post for hitching of horses or other animals within five feet of any tree, palm, shrub or plant now or hereafter growing in any street or other public highway of the City.
(Prior code § 7551; Ord. 44 § 7, 1957)
No person, firm or corporation shall attach or place any rope, wire, sign, poster or handbill, or other thing, on any tree, palm, shrub or plant now or hereafter growing in any street or other public highway of the City or on any guard or protection of same; nor shall any person, firm or corporation deposit or throw upon any street or public highway or into any gutter thereof, any substance detrimental to the growth of the tree, palm, shrub or plant, or deposit in such gutter any receptacle containing such substance.
(Prior code § 7552; Ord. 44 § 8, 1957)
No person, firm or corporation shall remove, injure or misuse any guard or device placed to protect any tree, palm, shrub or plant now or hereafter growing in any street or other public highway of the City.
(Prior code § 7553; Ord. 44 § 9, 1957)
No person, firm or corporation shall attach any electric wire, insulator or any other device for holding electric wires to any tree, palm, plant or shrub now or hereafter growing in any street or other public highway of the City. No person, firm or corporation shall, without written permission from the City Manager, trim, cut or break any part of such tree, palm, shrub or plant in order to make passage for such wires. Every person, firm or corporation having any wire charged with electricity shall securely fasten the same so that such wire shall not come in contact with any tree, palm, shrub or plant in any street or public highway of the City.
(Prior code §§ 7554—7556; Ord. 44 § 10, 1957)
No person, firm or corporation shall hereafter, without the written permit of the City Manager, place or maintain upon the ground in any street or other public highway of the City stone, cement or other material without leaving an open space of ground not less than four square feet around the trunk of any tree six inches or less in diameter, and for every three inches of increase in such diameter there must be an increase of at least one square foot of open ground; and whenever there is no such open space about any existing tree in any street or other public highway of the City, the City Manager may make such open space or cause the same to be made.
(Prior code §§ 7557, 7557.1; Ord. 44 § 11, 1957)
In the erection, alteration, moving or repair of any building, structure or other object, the owner thereof or his or her agent shall place or cause to be placed such guards around all nearby trees in the street or other public highway of the City as shall effectively prevent injury to them.
(Prior code § 7558; Ord. 44 § 12, 1957)
The owner, or agent, of every lot or parcel of land in the City upon which any trees, palms, shrubs or plants are now or may hereafter be standing, shall trim or cause to be trimmed the branches thereof so that same shall not obstruct the passage of light from any street light located in any street or other public highway adjacent to the street or sidewalk; and such owner or his or her agent shall trim all branches of any trees, palms, shrubs or plants which overhang any street or other public highway so that there shall be a clear height of eight feet above the surface of the street or other public highway unobstructed by branches; and such owner or his or her agent shall remove from such trees, palms, shrubs or plants all dead, decayed or broken limbs or branches that overhang such street or other public highway, and when any such trees, plants, shrubs or plants are dead, such owner or his or her agent shall remove the same so that they shall not fall in the street or other public highway.
(Prior code §§ 7561—7563; Ord. 44 § 13, 1957)
No person, firm or corporation shall prevent, delay or interfere with any employee of the City in the planting, pruning, cultivating, spraying or removal of any tree, palm, shrub or plant which is now or may hereafter be growing in any street or other public highway in the City or in the removal of stone, cement or other material from about the trunk of any tree, palm, shrub or plant which is now or may hereafter be growing in any street or other public highway of the City.
(Prior code §§ 7564; Ord. 44 § 14, 1957)
The duty is imposed upon a property owner to notify the City Manager when any tree, palm, shrub or plant in a public street adjacent to his or her property is injuring or damaging any public sidewalk. The City Manager is authorized to have removed, at the expense of the City, such tree, palm, shrub or plant or to otherwise remedy the dangerous condition.
(Prior code §§ 7565, 7566; Ord. 44 § 15, 1957)
The City Council shall adopt, by resolution, guidelines for evaluation of development applications for street tree planting and front yard planting compatible with established or desired street tree planting. The Council shall also adopt, by resolution, street tree planting concepts for Palm Avenue, Imperial Beach Boulevard, and 13th Street to improve directional orientation to the beach area.
(Ord. 44 § 16, 1957; Ord. 620, 1984)
A. 
Street planting guidelines shall be applied to all future street planting improvement projects and all private development permits affecting street planting.
B. 
The City Manager shall have copies of the street planting guidelines made, which shall be kept on file in the office of the City Manager and may be obtained by the public at the cost of printing.
(Prior code §§ 7512, 7513; Ord. 44 § 17, 1957; Ord. 620, 1984)
Any person who, for him or herself or for any other person, violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall for each violation be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction by any court having jurisdiction thereof, shall be punishable as provided in Chapter 1.12 of this code.
(Ord. 44 § 18, 1957; amended during 1995 republication)