'Killer Klowns' set touches off Halloween dispute

<p>PALOS VERDES ESTATES -- A homeowner is considering a lawsuit against the city after officials dismantled an elaborate spooky-clown-themed backdrop she had built on public land for her private 1,000-guest Halloween party.</p><p>Sheryl Ianetti had a movie set designer create a dozen eight-foot-high neon-painted panels and a giant neon clown head inspired by the cult horror movie "Killer Klowns from Outer Space," she told the Torrance Daily Breeze in a story posted Saturday on the newspaper's Web site.</p><p>She had the panels installed outside the wrought-iron gates of her 15,000-square-foot home: the same location she constructed a 40-foot pirate ship with animatronic skeletons for last year's "Pirates of the Carribean"-themed party.</p><p>She says she was too busy preparing for last year's trick-or-treaters to read a citation she received from city officials then instructing her to keep private decorations off public property in the future.</p><p>Last week, when her crew was putting up the panels, she received an order to stop work from the city and asked for a few days to have the panels and equipment -- worth $50,000 -- professionally removed.</p><p>Five days later, the panels were still standing and city workers came to remove the them themselves, although the neon clown head -- on Ianetti's property -- was left in place.</p><p>Ianetti, 29, said her lawyer is looking into the conflict.</p><p>"I shouldn't be punished for being able to afford a little bit better quality decoration," she said.</p><p>But city officials cast the situation as a case of inappropriate use of public land.</p><p>"This is basically a Hollywood set in the right-of-way," City Manager Joe Hoefgren said.</p>