Aesthetics and personal choice clash

A city ordinance in Rancho Cucamonga requires that homes have tile roofs for “aesthetic harmony.” But firefighter William Trudeau recently argued before the City Council that aesthetic judgments should be made by people, not the government.

Trudeau, who wants to replace his leaky tile roof with composition shingles, said that in his experience fighting fires, tile roofs are slippery when wet and break too easily.

Councilwoman Diane Williams said that if the city didn’t regulate the appearance of homes, neighborhoods would deteriorate and residents would suffer. Councilman Rex Gutierrez said he fielded many complaints when one resident painted his home lime green because “it just stuck out.”

Trudeau sympathized but asked, “At what point do you tell the guy on the other end of the phone, ‘Hey, this is America’? Are they infringing on your safety or your property value? If not, then too bad.”