Former SF mayoral candidate fighting Bay Area town to protect Flintstone House

Constructed by architect William Nicholson in 1976, the Flinstone house built to experiment with new building materials and techniques. The home is a favorite of I-280 rubberneckers and fans of the 1960s animated television series "The Flinstones." The home was purchased in 2017 by a private buyer, so it's best viewed while cruising down I-280. less Constructed by architect William Nicholson in 1976, the Flinstone house built to experiment with new building materials and techniques. The home is a favorite of I-280 rubberneckers and fans of the 1960s ... more Photo: Ann S./Yelp Photo: Ann S./Yelp Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Former SF mayoral candidate fighting Bay Area town to protect Flintstone House 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

Angela Alioto has joined the fray in the civic fight against the Paleolithic sculptures and landscaping improvements adorning Hillsborough's Flintstone House, a popular attraction for drivers along Interstate 280.

The former San Francisco supervisor and mayoral candidate will represent Florence Fang, the unusual home's owner, as she fights to keep the city's paws off her lawn. Hillsborough recently filed a lawsuit against Fang, alleging that she made changes to the home's exterior without proper permits and ignored multiple Stop Work Notices.

Fang, 86, will join Alioto in a Thursday press release held at the house in question, at 45 Berryessa Way. Fang, a philanthropist and the former publisher of the San Francisco Examiner, will reportedly explain "her reason for creating the Flintstone House and speak to the joy it brings her" while Alioto will "discuss the harassment by the Town of Hillsborough over the last 18 months."

"I am delighted to discuss our countersuit and claims, both State and Federal," Alioto said in the statement.

"This is a fight for the right to live one's dream in America without unbridled harassment and constant Constitutional violations from an elitists town hall committee in Hillsborough, California," she continued.

"Being sued for living a dream is novel, even in California!" the press release concludes, for good measure.

(Note: Fang did not create the Flintstone House. It was constructed by architect William Nicholson in 1976 as an experiment in new building materials and techniques. The residence remained under the same ownership for more than two decades.)

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Fang's troubles started months ago, not long after she purchased the ostentatious orange-and-purple home, a longstanding visual quirk along a stretch of I-280, in 2017 for $2.8 million. According to rubberneckers driving along the highway, the property gained some new residents shortly after its purchase — a herd of animal sculptures.

But that's not the only change Fang made to the property, according to "Hillsborough vs. Florence Fang," filed recently in the Superior Court of California. Starting around 2017, the complaint says Fang began installing "extensive improvements" in the yard, including the sculptures and a sign reading "Yabba Dabba Doo."

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She also reportedly built a retaining wall, steps, columns, gates, a parking strip and a deck to "accommodate her plan to use 45 Berryessa for parties and social gatherings." Hillsborough claims some of these modifications created "life-safety hazards" that required immediate correction.

Fang allegedly instituted the improvements without proper planning approvals or building permits, with the exception of the wall installed at the front of the property.

You can read more about the ongoing case here.

It seems some Bay Area residents are disgruntled by the bureaucratic kerfuffle — and the city's unfavorable aesthetic assessment of the property and its sculptures.

"Personally I would fight to keep these statues up and leave these owners alone," Helen Garcia, of San Jose, wrote in a petition she created to protect the house. "As a child I would drive to San Francisco with my family to see my grandmother. I would wait patiently until I was able to catch a glimpse at the Flintstone House. At that time it was just orange and round and it intrigued me."

The petition is directed at Governor Gavin Newsom and the Natural History Museum of London, which is seemingly related to the home solely on account of a large dinosaur fossil collection.

So far, more people have signed the petition — over 21,000 at time of writing — than reside in the town of Hillsborough.

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at michelle.robertson@sfgate.com.

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