SEAL BEACH : Trailer Used as Wind Curb Must Go

After a long debate, the City Council told a preschool owner that the truck trailer she has been using to block the wind must be removed.

Seretta Fielding said she parked the trailer at the back of her Seal Beach Boulevard property six years ago as a temporary way to cope with high winds. Fielding is also using the trailer to provide privacy for the preschool, which backs onto an alley.

She said she was planning to remove the trailer as soon as the area is rezoned, allowing her to construct a second floor that would become a permanent wind barrier. However, discussions about rezoning the commercial area have dragged on for the last few years.

The trailer became an issue after the city received a complaint about it earlier this year. Last month, the Planning Commission told Fielding that she could keep the trailer there for a year, until the city has completed its revision of design, development and zoning standards for the area.

But resident Charles Antos appealed the decision, saying the city does not have the right to ignore its own codes.