Dear Editor:

From my front yard, I can see 5 non-operational vehicles (aka non-ops) in front driveways around my residence. These are not the only non-ops marring my neighborhood. There are many, and some of them have not been driven or even moved in years. 

What is it about keeping an old wrecked or inoperable car or truck in your driveway, within eyeshot of neighbors for years on end? These serve no good purpose and create eyesores that blight neighborhoods, affect property values and consume household parking spaces, forcing families to park on the street and take up increasingly precious curb space in Downey. 

The least that offending owners could do is park their dusty, broken non-ops in their garages or behind driveway gates, sparing neighbors from having to look at their junkyard vehicles every day. Better yet, sell them or tow them to a real junkyard.

I call on the Downey City Council to take action. Pass an ordinance that forbids non-ops from being parked within view of the street. City leaders need to lead the way in cleaning up and beautifying Downey neighborhoods, and getting rid of non-ops is a great step in that direction. 

James R. Hendricks
Downey