OPINION by RICHARD SCHMIDT News Flash: San Luis Obispo City wants Jane Q Citizen to pay $3,500 in fees to appeal a faulty use permit the city issued for a
News Flash: San Luis Obispo City wants Jane Q Citizen to pay $3,500 in fees to appeal a faulty use permit the city issued for a fraternity next door to her home. That’s up from an already too high fee of $792, and appears to be a naked political maneuver to shut down appeals altogether.
That right, a basic human right for all of us, is stated without qualification. The First Amendment doesn’t say the right of appeal is open only to the rich, only to those who can afford whatever “fee” a city may want to charge, and is closed to the rest of us. The guaranteed appeal right is open to all, on an equal basis.
In the years since Constitutional ratification, the importance of the right of appeal has only grown, and courts have made clear that both speech and petition are integral to maintaining the democratic process. The city has arbitrarily decided that the “general public good” doctrine applies to streets and bike lanes, things paid for by the city, but doesn’t apply to protecting the human rights of speech and appeal. In other words, making an appeal is like parking your car in a municipal garage and paying a parking fee – you use a city service and you pay for it.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
This week’s San Luis Obispo County government meetingsBy CalCoastNews staff The Arroyo Grande City Council will meet at 6 p.m. on June 25 in the council chambers. In 2021, the city was allocated $4,300,241 in
Read more »
County opens sobering center in San Luis ObispoBy KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo County opened its first sobering center this week as a place for people who needs to sober up from drugs or alcohol and
Read more »
Drunk driver slams into San Luis Obispo police vehicle on DUI patrolBy JOSH FRIEDMAN An alleged drunk driver slammed into a San Luis Obispo police vehicle that was out on DUI patrol Wednesday night. Two officers who were
Read more »
Honor Laura Mordaunt, a San Luis Obispo County giantOPINION by RANDALL JORDON I wanted to write a note inviting folks to 'Celebration of Life' for Laura Mordaunt. What Laura Mordaunt meant to SLO County On
Read more »
San Luis Obispo County unemployment rate decliningBy KAREN VELIE Unemployment continued to tumble in San Luis Obispo County in May with approximately 1,000 residents gaining employment, the state
Read more »
This week’s San Luis Obispo County government meetingsBy CalCoastNews staff The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors will meet at 9 a.m. on June 18 in the board chambers. Some local governments pack
Read more »