By a 3-2 vote last Monday night, the City Council chose to ignore citizens’ complaints of mansionization of existing homes, the practice of replacing an older, smaller home with one much larger than those in the surrounding area.
The greatly increased size changes both the scale and the character of a neighborhood.
In my case, the city issued a permit to a neighbor directly behind me to build a 403-square foot, 26-foot high residential accessory structure. This included a recreation room, a laundry room, and a three-quarters bathroom and storage area.
The city employee who ordered this so-called amnesty enforcement building was Thomas Gorham, planning manager at the Planning Dept. Mr. Gorham earlier issued a permit to build the sixth 7-Eleven market in Culver City, at the intersection of Sepulveda Boulevard and Braddock Drive. This, in spite of protests from Braddock residents who said another liquor store in the area would be a detriment to the community.
Mr. Gorham ignored the pleas from the community.
According to the couple behind me who live in the 4200 block of Baldwin Ave., they were approached by Mr. Gorham. He ordered them to tear down an old one-story house that was practically falling down and build the monster structure that now looms over my backyard.
The couple said that in order to comply with Mr. Gorham’s demands, they had to take out a second mortgage. I was not made aware of any of this until after construction began on the garage unit.
I feel that the couple has a potential legal case against Mr. Gorham.
When I spoke with Mr. Gorham and told him what I thought of his demands, he hung up on me.
I consulted with my close friend and associate, Mr. Damian Curran who is an architectural engineer.
He met with me and the couple from the Baldwin Avenue property.
When we asked to inspect the property and verify that the property really was 10 feet from my fence, they informed Mr. Curran and me that they had been told by their parents, both lawyers, not to allow us on the property.
Both Mr. Curran and an attorney told me that the “storage unit” could be converted into living quarters.
I went before the City Council last Monday and explained my situation. The mayor of Culver City allowed Mr. Gorham to give his side of the story but I was not allowed to rebut his testimony.
I have lived in Culver City since 1986. My wife of 41 years passed away from a heart attack in 2011. I am a member of the Screen Actors Guild, the Screen Actors Guild Conservatory, the International Documentary Assn., the Culver City Historical Society, the Los Angeles Press Club, the Santa Monica Historical Society, the West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce.
I have produced two feature films, 11 documentaries and more than 200 regional and local commercials, including the first Spanish language PSA for the National Kidney Foundation.
I am contacting a regional real estate company and conferring with my attorney to see if the building towering over my backyard will affect the sale of my property, should I decide to sell it.
Culver City is one of two communities on the Westside where the majority of residents are homeowners.
Should the ratio reverse itself, the homeowners left behind will not be happy with the result.
Mr. Hawkins may be contacted at rjhculvercity@aol.com
