The War on Halloween- Simi Valley Edition

Overly officious bureaucrats hate fun. Meddlesome local officials have shut down a long-running haunted house in California.

Haunted Halls has been operated by Cindy Fike and her family outside their Sebring Street home for the past eight years. But what makes it popular — a covered wooden maze with steel poles, dark and spooky scenes, and volunteers that startle visitors — is the reason it was given a 72-hour notice Friday to be taken down.

Responding to an anonymous complaint, the city said the 1,200-square-foot “amusement building” didn’t have a permit.

I'm not a big Halloween fan. It's just not my holiday. But let people live their lives, for crying out loud.