Private Property

I do not like to breathe outside second-hand smoke from others ("City Council firms up ban on smoking," Saturday). But if I find myself in a situation where others' outdoor smoking bothers me, I move away from it. I don't need a law to tell me to do this, it is common sense. It's kind of like when someone who has the flu sneezes. The best advice is to get away from it. Are you sure you want to criminalize outside smoking? Are we shooting for utopia here? You need to tone it down a bit. It has been said that a democracy fails after roughly 250 years because the laws enacted by a relatively small, vocal minority become so restricting of the personal liberties of others that the population gets fed up. A tyrant will surface and a full-blown dictatorship will ensue.

WEED ABATEMENT PROGRAM HEARING WHAT HAPPENED The council approved a resolution to charge private property owners for the cost of removing overgrown weeds and other debris after no one spoke at a public hearing. WHAT IT MEANS Private property owners can either clear weeds and debris themselves or the city, through the County of Los Angeles Weed Abatement Program, will complete the removal and assess the owner. The purpose of the program is to reduce fire hazards and eliminate havens for rodents and disease-carrying insects.

Karen S. Kim BURBANK -- City Atty. Dennis Barlow will meet with the City Council in closed session Tuesday to discuss possible litigation strategies involving Southwest Airlines' refusal to reimburse Burbank for a plane crash last year. Burbank's request for Southwest Airlines to pay a reimbursement of $40,891 -- the expense incurred by the city last March, when the airline's Boeing 737 skidded off of the runway at Burbank airport and came to rest on Hollywood Way -- was denied by airline officials Feb. 7. Barlow has not advised the council on the matter and is still searching for a legal statute that would require Southwest to pay Burbank's bill, he said.