Brickbat: Move It Along

For almost 20 years, stone benches have graced the sidewalks of San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood. They were first placed there by residents to make the place more attractive and to give them places to socialize. The sidewalks are very wide. One local TV station measured the distance from the curb to the benches and found it was nearly 14 feet. But after an anonymous complaint, city officials have told residents that no one ever got a permit to place the benches there. The people who own the homes near the benches will have to pay $1,400 for an encroachment permit or have them removed.