Tree-hugger versus solar lover
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - February 21, 2008 Mark Vargas of Santa Clara, California, likes his solar
panels. His neighbor, Richard Treanor, likes tall trees.
So it seems these two eco-friendly gentlemen would be good friends.
But that's not the case. Vargas claims Treanor's trees are blocking
the sunlight from his solar panels. After more than six years of
legal wrangling, a judge recently ordered Treanor to cut down two
of eight redwoods, citing an obscure state law that protects a
homeowner's right to sunlight. The Treanor family doesn't plan to
appeal. They say they can't afford the legal bills, but will lobby
state lawmakers to change or scrap the law.