Q. Is there any person or entity powerful enough to interrupt the momentum that cities have built?
A. No. In a book that I would recommend to everyone in this situation, “Abuse of Power,” by an Orange County reporter, it contains one of my favorite sayings. “Stalin took over the property of the churches,” he wrote. “But at least he turned them into museums. Here in this country, the government takes the churches and turns them into Wal-Marts.” There is a whole sense of right and wrong here.
Q. Your properties that the city is acquiring could sit here for years undeveloped.
A. They most likely will. Even though the city claims that they in fact have a project, and they are now making some minor modifications, I can tell you there is no final plan. People have asked to see it. When we asked a simple question, how deep is the parking going to go underground? they could not answer. That was as recently as a month ago. If they couldn’t answer a month ago, are you going down one level or two? how could they really have a plan if they don’t know how much parking they have?
Q. Do you believe the city makes reasonable attempts to find replacement sites for people whom they buy out?
A. The only answer I can give you is that in approximately three months, they only told me about one (potential warehouse) property. But it could not be reached by truck, which eliminated it. You can come to your own conclusion. I finally said, “Show me something within a block.” They told me, “There’s nothing within a block.” I said, “Then where is there something?” Like I say, the only thing they have shown me is something that doesn’t physically work.
Q. What would be a deadline for the city to find a replacement site?
A. I don’t think I can answer that. This will be in litigation for at least a year. Whether I would have to move out before a year is up, I most likely would. Hell, I don’t know what I’ll do.
Q. Characterize the kind of blow that moving out of Culver City would be for your business.
A. It will be a terrible blow. We have just gotten established at this location. There is a lot of publicity that has gone out all over the world about Surfas and Culver City. It would be terribly hard. We have over 10,000 items. You don’t pick up a business like ours overnight. You have to do that at the same time you are operating another business. Just moving from next door to the new building cost us an absolute fortune. And that was just moving next door. So it will be a terrible, terrible financial burden just doing it. And it will be a business loss for a period of time. So we are not just look at it as, what do I want for this building? Which, again, was another insult, what they offered me. When we tried to point out the errors of their ways, based on what their appraiser provided, they didn’t want to hear about it. I will give you an example. They used in comp a narrow little side street in West L.A., north of Olympic. They say that is worth a hundred dollars a foot more than this. I said, “Are you trying to say a narrow little street — no major street is near, it’s a side street — that that is worth a hundred dollars more than the intersection of National and Washington, which will be across the street from an Expo line?” “Well, yeah,” they told me.
Q. In what frame of mind have you conducted business for he last three years, since the city knocked on your door and said they wanted to take your property? Have you felt you had one foot out the door and one foot in?
A. Yes, I never really knew where I was. I never really felt secure. But I had to do something. We have been operating while not really knowing.
Q. What provides the grit for you that makes you say you are going to see this through?
A. I grew up in California when things seemed a lot fairer. The smaller guy, the businessman, had more of a chance. Government bureaucracy has no understanding of reality, no understanding of what it takes to make a buck in business. I see (the government) putting business out of Culver City. I see this happening elsewhere in California. Who wants to deal with it? I think it is wrong that I have created something so successful, so profitable right here in Culver City, and then this. Five years ago, who really knew about Culver City? So what keeps me going? When I see a wrong, I get angry.
Q. What brought about the change in attitude from when you were growing up?
A. The evolution of society. There were more things on a handshake a long time ago, doing business on honor. That doesn’t exist anymore. Cities are full of people in control who are on a power trip. It isn’t only Culver City. But I had hoped Culver City would be different because I always felt Culver City recognized the businessperson, someone who brought something good to the community. You will find some of the heads of the Redevelopment Agency live in other counties. It has become so diversified that there are no longer hometown people (in City Hall) anymore.
Q. It sounds as if you are saying that the heart of the city has been carved out, that the business of City Hall has become bloodless, sterile. No longer are changes, improvements being made for my town because I live and work here.
A. I believe a lot of these people (at City Hall) believe sincerely, in their hearts, they are doing what is best. But I don’t think they are capable of really knowing what is best. That’s the problem.
Q. You are saying “not capable” not because they aren’t smart enough but because they don’t have a background in commerce?
A. That’s exactly right. They are on a power trip. They think they have these visions of what’s best for everybody.
Q. Because their specialty is theory rather than practice?
A. Right. They don’t go to the Building Dept. and get a permit. They don’t gamble everything they have or everything they have worked for on a project. They don’t gamble with their own money. They are big shots with the public’s money. Another insult came when the city made one of their offers to me. I had been promised an update. And I said, “Wait a minute. Your appraisal is dated from last November. A lot has happened since then.” Okay. They promised me an updated appraisal. They didn’t get it. But they came up with a higher number. I said, “How can you come up with a new number, slightly higher, without an appraisal?” They told me the appraiser came up with it. I said, “I want to see something in writing.” “We don’t want to do that,” they said, “because it would cost $1200.” I said, “Excuse me. What do you think it costs me just to go to the Planning Dept. to get a permit?” I said, “Twelve hundred dollars in relation to this size transaction?” They got kind of defensive. I said, “I can assure you if somebody were coming to rip your house out from under you, you would not be concerned. You are the one who wants to take this. I am not trying to sell it to you. You owe it to me, and by law, they do owe it to me, not just a dismissal, an oh-well-that’s-not-important attitude.
Q. The final offer from the city was $4.89 million. What would a fairer offer have been?
A. Closer to 8. We’re not off a few dimes here. That, by the way, is the real estate. It does not include the cost of losing my business. That’s a whole ‘nother number.
Q. How close do you think you can come to $8 million?
A. They have made it clear. We tried negotiating. We told them what the number should be closer to. We used their own appraiser’s numbers. They said, “That’s ridiculous.” That was the end of it. We are going to court, and I relish the opportunity. I can see going before a jury. I would like to think a jury has a little empathy.
Q. What is next for you?
A. I got a call from Culver City today saying they wanted to clarify what I wanted, which I found kind of interesting. I said, “First of all get me the warehouse so I can keep my store here. It doesn’t solve all of my problems, but…” Nothing will be done, though, I am sure because they are afraid of a bigger, richer person. In other words, you are nothing so we will take your property. We just don’t want to get into a fight with somebody bigger and more qualified. They pick on the people they believe they can defeat, and they stay away from the rest. So I have been in contact with other cities that would appreciate having my business in their town.
