Posted 1:19 PM by Floyd

A California salon is being forced by the city of Mountain View to remove its racy artwork:

City miffed by mermaid
MURAL DEEMED TO EXCEED SIGN STANDARDS
By Truong Phuoc Khánh
Mercury News

A bodacious bathing beauty is being ordered down from her perch on the wall of a downtown Mountain View tanning salon.

Until Monday, though, motorists driving on West El Camino Real can catch a last glimpse of the vixen at Max Muscle, which also sells fitness wear. She can be seen in silhouette, bathing under a lavender sun. Her back is slightly arched, her curvy tail stretched luxuriously, her long lashes . . .

Wait . . . curvy tail?

Yes, the lady is a mermaid in a mural, and the city deems her to be in non-compliance with its codes. The city considers the mermaid -- all 12 feet of her -- a sign that exceeds the building's signage allowance. Her creators think what has the city out of shape is the mermaid's shape.

``This is a graphic, and graphics are covered under our signage ordinance,'' said Mountain View's zoning administrator Whitney McNair.

...

Don't we have a First Amendment to prevent this sort of nonsense? Oh, I forgot; this is "commercial speech", so the city of Mountain View can perform all the censorship it wants to.