What can I do to stop my neighbor from harassing us?
Hello everyone!
I am a new member and I hope someone can help me with my problem!
I live in the South Bay, part of Los Angeles County. I have a "neighbor" (and I use that term loosely) who has been harassing us every since we moved in 3 years ago. She has turned it into a battle over parking, mostly, but will basically try to do whatever she can to piss us off. So far, we've taken a hands off approach, not wanting to add fuel to the fire. She is undoubteldy a sad, pathetic older woman, never been married, never had kids, never has any friends, etc. She lives alone but rents out her "bootleg" apartment to unsuspecting people. In the past year alone, she has gotten rid of 3 tenant, by snooping in their cars and possibly their apartments, digging through their trash, etc. to find something wrong with them.
We live on a one-way street, and her side has parking in the garage and in front of the garage as well. We used to have 3 spots that were available for public parking. She got City Hall to paint the 2 curbs around her house red, but the last curb is still open and "legal" so she is trying to get that one red as well. We are currently parking in the last legal spot when we get a chance. We do not have ample parking here in the Beach Cities, and she is trying to make that situation even worse! She runs up the street to look inside my car, took a letter off my windshield to read it, and takes pictures constantly. She also tells my neighbors to call the police on us, parking enforcement, go to City Hall, complain, not to buy things at my grocery store, etc.
Another issue we have with her is that she constantly screams obscenities at us (in front of my 2 little kids) from her window upstairs. This has really upset me, because my daughter, age 3, is frightened and this "nasty neighbor" has made it very difficult to go outside of our house.
There are so many other things, like her stealing our potted plants, vandalising our front walkway with her dog poop, etc. but since I didn't actual get any of it on tape, it's a he-said-she-said deal. The police have been notified of the situation and advised me there is nothing they can really do, until I get a restraining order against her. Then, if she makes the slightest move, they can cite/arrest her. I don't want things to get that ugly, but I am out of options. Killing her with kindness has not worked in the past. We keep to ourselves and avoid confrontation, but I think she is mistaking our kindness for weakness and continues to make life a living hell, here in what I consider Paradise.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I am at my wit's end and will move within a year, but she cannot get away with doing this to decent people!
Love always,
Heather
P.S. I can email you pictures of what I'm talking about offline...