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Threatened by Gardener


               
2025 Oct 8, 1:32pm   481 views  35 comments

by Patrick   follow (59)  

I spoke at a recent city council meeting about the lack of enforcement of the prohibition on gas-powered gardening tools.

Then I talked to my neighbor about this, and how on one side of my house, the gardeners have just kept on using gas-powered gardening tools, even after my neighbor and I informed them at least four times that it hasn't been legal for a year and a half now. I once called the non-emergency number to report them, but not sure the police ever showed up.

So today, my neighbor and I decided to sit outside, wait for them to once again ignore the prohibition, and to call the enforcement number to see if the police would come in time to talk to them. At the city council meeting, I was told that the police can't do anything unless the gardeners are actually caught in the act.

But ironically, this time gardeners on the other side of my house showed up and started using a gas powered weed whacker. So I walked over there, handed one of the gardeners the card that the city printed up explaining that it's illegal, and apologized for the trouble.

I waited in front of my house, and the gardener continued to use the gas powered weed whacker. So I walked back over to them and called the non-emergency number to report them.

I went back to my house, and one gardener came over on the street, pointed at me, and said "I'll get you later." Then he went next door, came back again, and again pointed and said he would "get me later". I took his picture, and of the truck license plate, 66636G1, and called the non-emergency number to report the threat.

Two police cars showed up together in about 10 minutes. One officer went in the back next door to talk to the gardeners. The other one, Officer Garcia, told me that gardeners go to many places, have to make a living, and may not be aware of the ordinance (though both Atherton and Palo Alto on either side of Menlo Park have the same ordinance). He seemed one-sided, sympathetic to them only. He did not seem concerned with the fact that I had just been threatened.

The current system of reporting and waiting for enforcement is not working. It would be better for the police to patrol a few hours a week and inform the gardeners and owners of the regulation. It would certainly be easy to find gardeners violating the ordinance.

Gardener who threatened me:




« First        Comments 11 - 35 of 35        Search these comments

12   Blue   2025 Oct 8, 5:05pm  

There are some crazy lawyers around. Bring this topic to few around who can sue the city or neighborhoods or specific owners. Somewhere around sprinkle Prop 13 tax recipients mention to reset tax base that property taxes could go more than 100 times!
It would terrify “Owners” around and very likely fix the issue!
13   Patrick   2025 Oct 8, 5:08pm  

Lol, that might work.

I'll try to find a lawyer who does that kind of thing.
14   Booger   2025 Oct 8, 5:44pm  

Patrick says

Thought about that, but I don't know whether they are legal or not.

Is there really any doubt in your mind?
15   Al_Sharpton_for_President   2025 Oct 8, 6:00pm  

Patrick says

The police are definitely not stopping it.

Hey, man, you are in California. Murderers go free there.
16   Ceffer   2025 Oct 8, 6:13pm  

Patrick fed him into the leaf mulcher, and the neighbors complained about the noise Patrick's mulcher was making.
18   Maga_Chaos_Monkey   2025 Oct 8, 10:36pm  

Al_Sharpton_for_President says





Needs blood spray to be more convincing. Also for the pleasurable relaxing ambiance in general.
19   WookieMan   2025 Oct 9, 6:29am  

Patrick says

I'll try to find a lawyer who does that kind of thing.

There's a lawyer for everything. You'll just have to pay is the only issue. Unless it's an event where the petitioner can get money and the attorney gets their cut of the payoff. Problem is an illegal likely has little money, but you might be able to go after the owner of the business. Usually they broke though themselves.

Fact is unless it's a major incident, you'll be paying out of pocket. Sucks. So probably not much you can do legally. Just be a pest with the police or whoever enforces it and maybe you'll get somewhere. My town growing up allowed leaf burning. It messed my mom up and she'd get pissed. Took time but she got a leaf burning ban. Then she moved and they took it away. My sister still lives in that town. My mom gets pissed when she visits in the fall.

She doesn't have to worry now. Our town banned it. We're in prime open window season not using AC or heat. Leaf burning doesn't bother me, but I can get why it pisses people off. Also the hippy (small amount) in me says it's perfect compost and we have leaf pickup. It's good for gardens and lawn if your mower has a mulcher.
20   WookieMan   2025 Oct 9, 6:34am  

Maga_Chaos_Monkey says

Al_Sharpton_for_President says






Needs blood spray to be more convincing. Also for the pleasurable relaxing ambiance in general.

This scene has always made me want to puke. Horror movie gore is funny to me. This is just too realistic just because of the means of disposal. Even if I'm dead already that's not remotely how I'd want to be handled. Tie some cement to me and throw me in a lake. At least I'm swimming... kind of.
21   zzyzzx   2025 Oct 9, 7:02am  

Patrick says

The police are definitely not stopping it. It's all around town, every day

Pretty much Baltimore City. Best advised to move.
22   Eric_Holder   2025 Oct 9, 4:48pm  

Al_Sharpton_for_President says

Next time, call ICE.


Better: join ICE.

PS. The sign-up bonus is $50K.
23   Patrick   2025 Oct 9, 4:50pm  

It would definitely be exciting and noble work for the good of US citizens.
24   clambo   2025 Oct 9, 6:17pm  

You can call ICE; the USA has not issued visas to latin third world countries for years.

But, it's (remotely) possible he won the "visa lottery"; this is a bizarre practice by immigration that actually lets someone "win" a visa in a lottery.

It's also possible (unlikely) that he came here on a student visa; either way he's not allowed to work probably.
26   Blue   2025 Oct 9, 6:26pm  

https://www.usa.gov/green-card-lottery
The Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program awards up to 55,000 immigrant visas each year.

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program) makes immigrant visas available to natives of countries with low immigration rates.
27   MolotovCocktail   2025 Oct 9, 6:29pm  

clambo says


But, it's (remotely) possible he won the "visa lottery"; this is a bizarre practice by immigration that actually lets someone "win" a visa in a lottery.


I had an employee from Macedonia (Ex-Yugoslavia, not Greece) who won the greencard lottery. He and his wife.
28   Patrick   2025 Oct 9, 6:34pm  

I worked at Schwab with a woman from Switzerland who got one of those lottery visas.
29   Blue   2025 Oct 9, 6:45pm  

In recent years I met two who own this lottery.
“Kenyan” (migrant woman from India!)
“German” (migrant man from Afghanistan who claims to know German!)
Applicants are not necessarily natives of the country they apply from.
30   Patrick   2025 Oct 9, 6:55pm  

Thanks, that's interesting.

Kinda like some "Hispanics" from Argentina who are 100% German but get special anti-white racist preferences in the US, like college admissions, just because they speak Spanish and are from a Latin country.

Now that I think about it, I'm all for the Argentine Germans doing that. Delicious irony!
31   Booger   2025 Oct 10, 5:54pm  

Looks like there is some hope for Patrick:
https://x.com/KimKatieUSA/status/1976666366632772044
34   Maga_Chaos_Monkey   2025 Oct 10, 10:30pm  

I would have probably told the beaner, "Bring it! Motherfucker!", which at my age would be a very bad idea. I'd probably throw my arm out fighting at this point. I think these days I have only one good hit due to a shoulder injury and would pay for it over the following weeks for sure even if I managed to knock the guy out.

I do actually worry about that. I don't carry a gun but I consider it more every day.

I had a very bad temper when I was younger, got in a lot of fights, and I'm not big so I typically went kinetic 1st for the advantage. Especially if I was scared or cornered.

If he comes around again I hope you're out there wearing an ICE shirt. Camera. Taking photos of the work truck, license plate etc. ICE on speed dial.

Some trans-mexican trolling might be fun?
35   Booger   2025 Oct 11, 12:47pm  

https://x.com/KimKatieUSA/status/1977020633935663118

Context: Lawn workers in Chicago are being investigated by DHS agents.

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