[carapace]

I think you're raising a good point. FWIW, I don't think working on your car should be an actual crime. That's messed up.

I see this (the Sac law) as a sort of county-wide HOA rule. Sacramento is the seat of the state government, I bet there's some pressure to keep it looking nice, eh? Presumably folks voted for this law, yeah?

As I grow older I find my attitude towards HOA-type rules is changing. When I was young I could put up with a lot of chaos around me, but now that I'm pushing fifty I feel like the advantages of the stricter rules are becoming more obvious and the disadvantages less onerous.