(KRON) — An Oakland couple was slapped with nearly $1 million in fines from the city for chopping down three dozen trees on and near their private residential property on Claremont Avenue.
On Tuesday, the city council voted in favor of fining the property owners, Matthew Bernard and Lynn Warner, $915,000. Most of the trees cut down were oaks that are protected under the city’s tree ordinance, city leaders said.
“The Oakland City Council voted to hold accountable a District 4 property owner who illegally cut down over three dozen trees. By a 5-3 vote, a majority of City Council voted to support a motion originally made by Councilmember Janani Ramachandran to impose a record fine,” Ramachandran’s office wrote…