SAN DIEGO —
Rodents are making themselves at home in an overgrown tree. Neighbors in Ocean Beach aren’t exactly thrilled about rats living in the ivy-covered tree. Of course, there’s also the anxiety about what could happen on a windy day that makes the tree shake.
"It could slip down and crush the homeowner," said Kitty Belmonte, who lives just west of the palm tree.
"We've got everything that lives up there [like] mice, rats, opossums, raccoons [and] skunks," said Chris Taylor, who lives east of the tree.
So, is this tree the city’s responsibility? News 8’s Shawn Styles looked into it.
News 8 reached out the San Diego County Vector Control and the City of San Diego.
The city did contact News 8 and said that planting invasive plants like ivy on city property is illegal, thus, the ivy is not its responsibility. The city will send a notice to the tree owner to remove it within 30 days.