Star-studded California town with no ADDRESSES votes to ditch bizarre rule over complaints it's hugely inconvenient

A ritzy California town home to the rich and famous has voted to implement street addresses after a century without them.

Carmel-by-the-Sea - which has boasted residents such as Brad Pitt and Doris Day - had no street addresses since it was incorporated in 1916, and homeowners there would identify their properties by describing them.

The lone building with an official address in the quaint beach town is the post office where community members come to collect their mail.

However, the city council vote to change the 107-year-old rule on July 9 after citizens expressed their concerns. 

'There are safety issues here. This is a life-and-death situation in my life and my family,' resident Deanna Dickman said at the council meeting.

'I want a street address that people can find it on GPS and get there and my wife can get the medication she needs.'

Resident Todd Muck advocated for making the change because he works from home and needs an official address to get better internet. 

'We cannot use our Wi-Fi enabled phone calls to our sales service because we don't have a street address and that's an FCC requirement for for those utility providers,' he said.

'That simple addition of a street address whether we have it on our wall and our on our house or not would allow us to make crystal clear calls from our house.'

Other residents complained of not being able to sign up for credit cards and government documents because they do not have an address.

'Please Implement street addresses I spent four days of my life in May trying to prove to five different insurance companies that I really have a house and it exists here in the city of Carmel but it was just impossible for them to find it,' one person said.

Opponents felt implementing the change would take away from the charm and quaintness of the town. 

'As far as ambulance response goes, we have a two to three minutes response time. Nobody's going to die because of the lack of ambulance servicing, we have our own ambulance,' Carmel Mayor Dave Potter told KSBW.

'I think it's a critical topic that we should put to rest really. Let's go ahead and say it, are we going to do something about it or keep it the way it is. I think status quo is not a bad thing sometimes.'  

Ultimately, the city council voted 3-2 to start the next steps in the implementation process of an official numbered street address system.

The village in Monterey County has long been a favorite hangout for Hollywood's elite and was famously presided over by Clint Eastwood as mayor in the 1980s.

His youngest daughter, Morgan, married Tanner Koopmans in a glamorous ceremony on Eastwood's sprawling ranch in Carmel-by-the-Sea in June.

Brad Pitt bought a $40 million home there in 2022 and other residents have included Michael Nesmith, Doris Day, Betty White and James Ellroy.

Monaco real estate titan Patrice Pastor has bought up at least 15 iconic properties in the seaside village.