"We have an ordinance that says you can’t have signs that big, she violated that ordinance, and she feels she doesn’t have to obey that ordinance, and she’s wrong.” John Lee, a San Mateo council member.
"We have an ordinance that says you can’t have signs that big, she violated that ordinance, and she feels she doesn’t have to obey that ordinance, and she’s wrong.” John Lee, a San Mateo council member.
“God chose me to be His servant. There is such a thing as freedom of speech.” Estrella Benavides, rooftop God blogger.
San Mateo, Calif., Officials Order Woman to Remove ‘Messages From God’
Estrella Benavides, 48, says God talks to her through a statue at church and the Bible. Benavides’ mission in life is to pass on those epiphanies to her neighbors by painting the messages on her roof and garage door.
The City of San Mateo wants her to stop. The messages, especially the ones with the 5-foot letters, violate city ordinances, which regulate the size of signs in residential neighborhoods, according to city officials. The city has ordered her to remove the signs or face fines and a possible jail sentence, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday (Feb. 27, 2007).
“It’s very simple in my opinion. We have an ordinance that says you can’t have signs that big, she violated that ordinance, and she feels she doesn’t have to obey that ordinance, and she’s wrong,” John Lee, a San Mateo council member, told the San Francisco Examiner.
The city plans to fine Benavides $50 a day if she doesn’t take down the signs, which cover a wide rang of topics, including the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Cuba and witchcraft.
“I’m going to keep going, because it is all I can do,” Benavides told the San Francisco Chronicle. “God chose me to be His servant. There is such a thing as freedom of speech.”
Plus, she noted, her signs are smaller than the letters on the sign at Cosco.
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