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Sunday October 7, 2007

Billionaire property mogul Donald Trump has enraged local residents of a multi-million-dollar Californian beach community, by planting a monolithic wall of fast-growing ficus trees as a “temporary” screen for a Michael Douglas tournament held in April, and then never took it out.

The New York Daily News reports that that Donald Trump had failed to obtain the necessary permits, and is violating view ordinances and residents of the beach community believe he doesn’t care that ficus is a nonnative species that could mess up conservation of their prized beaches.

A resident said: “He called my house shitty,” said one incensed homeowner who asked to remain anonymous. “He’s not impressed with charm. He likes dripping gold gilt and Roman columns. He thinks we’re horrendous for hanging our clean laundry out to dry.”

However, Trump expressed a different view, he said:  “Sun-bleached is a nice way of saying the house needs a coat of paint,” Trump said. “This is the No.1 course in California, and there’s an area on the course where the houses are not facing in the right direction, and they don’t look so good.

“I’ve added a tremendous amount of value to the people of Palos Verdes. The houses aren’t a native species, either, if you think about it.”

“These views are one of the great beauties of America. The trees are impairing views on public hiking and biking trails. That’s much more important to the public good than what some golfers consider an ugly house,” complained resident Lenee Bilski, 63.

“We can watch the whales go by, the pelicans go fishing, the kite surfers. It’s an idyllic life…and now Donald Trump comes along and takes that away,” said Jessica Leeds, 62, whose million-dollar property was singled out in Trump paperwork as particularly homely.

The New York Daily News quotes the town’s mayor as saying: “The golf course is supposed to use drought-tolerant and native plants,” Mayor Tom Long said. “My hope is that he’ll work with the neighbors so as not to obstruct their views.”
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