Oleanders are highly, highly toxic, and I would never have one in my yard. (Even if you don’t have kids of your own, all you need is one stupid neighbor kid to have a tragedy and a helluva lawsuit.) That said, they are appropriate for some landscaping, such as (already pointed out) the medians of freeways, since they are very attractive and hard to kill.
But why in the world do they need to ban oleander from the entire town? Does Yorba Linda let horses wander free down the street, like sacred cows in India? For pete’s sake, let the horse owners control their critters!
Hey Mensa member, do you have drain cleaner under your sink or any other pesticides, cleaners, etc., that are much more caustic than a little bush? I’ve lived in CA for 42 years and the stuff has never once jumped in my mouth.