Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Matthew Bernard and Lynn Warner own an undeveloped residential plot in Oakland. In 2020, the Oakland Fire Prevention Bureau ordered them to clear dead and dying trees from their land or face ongoing fines. Now, because the couple removed the trees without a permit from the City of Oakland, the City Council has levied a staggering $915,000 fine, threatened to place a lien on the property, and halted all building permits.
In response to this egregious overreach, TPPF's Center for the American Future has filed a lawsuit to challenge Oakland's protected tree ordinance.
The Center for the American Future defends the Constitution through legal opposition to government overreach. The Center launches legal challenges at the administrative, district, and appellate court levels on behalf of ordinary people whose lives, liberty, and property are threatened by government action in defiance of the Constitution.
Website: texaspolicy.com/initiatives/center-for-the-american-future
X: twitter.com/LitigateLiberty
Matthew Bernard and Lynn Warner own an undeveloped residential plot in Oakland. In 2020, the Oakland Fire Prevention Bureau ordered them to clear dead and dying trees from their land or face ongoing fines. Now, because the couple removed the trees without a permit from the City of Oakland, the City Council has levied a staggering $915,000 fine, threatened to place a lien on the property, and halted all building permits.
In response to this egregious overreach, TPPF's Center for the American Future has filed a lawsuit to challenge Oakland's protected tree ordinance.
The Center for the American Future defends the Constitution through legal opposition to government overreach. The Center launches legal challenges at the administrative, district, and appellate court levels on behalf of ordinary people whose lives, liberty, and property are threatened by government action in defiance of the Constitution.
Website: texaspolicy.com/initiatives/center-for-the-american-future
X: twitter.com/LitigateLiberty
