2 COMMUNITY NEWS GROUP • NOVEMBER 18, 2011
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ARTESIA IMPOSES STRICT BUILDING VARIANCES AT COUNCILWOMAN’S PRIVATE RESIDENCE By Randy Economy
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Eyebrows have been raised over an elected member of the Artesia City Council’s private home that is now the subject of an official review by building officials from both the city hall she was elected to represent and the Los Angeles County Building Inspectors Department. At a meeting of the Artesia City Council this past week, the home of longtime Artesia City Councilwoman Sally Zuniga Flowers was placed under the public microscope when an agenda item centered around five different building requirements and design conditions at the home she has lived in for the past few decades located on the 11800 block of Summer Avenue. Flowers, the longest serving member on the current Artesia City Council, were first elected to the five member board in 1997. On Tuesday three of her fellow council members, Mayor Victor Manalo, Vice Mayor John Lyons and Councilwoman Michele Diaz slapped five different conditions on her to bring her residence into compliance. Flowers and Councilman Tony Lima did not participate in the deliberation since the two are next door neighbors. Flowers said that she had recently wanted to replace the aged roof at her property when, after inspection by city planning and county building official, she discovered that an unpermitted addition to her property had been completed in the past without her knowledge.
The property includes a two car garage that has an attached single occupancy apartment connected to it. Flowers contends that the addition on her property had already existed prior to her purchasing the property 26 years ago, yet there appears to be no record of that addition on file at Artesia City Hall. According to city documents obtained by Los Cerritos Community News, Flowers is quoted in a staff report that she had no knowledge and was unaware at the time of the purchasing the property that the additions were unpermitted. John Matson, a well know local builder and architect has been retained personally by Flowers and claimed in testimony before the Artesia Planning Commission last month that the unpermitted additions to Flower’s property had been done back in the 1960’s prior to Flower’s purchase of the large ranch style estate that sits on nearly 10,000 square feet of property on one of the best known streets in Artesia. Matson also claimed in testimony that the additions cannot be seen from the street and that none of Flowers long time neighbors had ever complained about the additions of the two-car garage and living quarter. Documents also show that Flowers discovered that the additions were unpermitted only after a building official, inspecting the single-family residence for other reasons, discovered that the garage did not contain the enclosed covered patio or the second dwelling unit, on Flower’s property.
Flowers, in an interview with Los Cerritos Community News on Wednesday said that “she did nothing wrong” and that she has never been given “special privileges” because of her position as an elected city council member to bring her property into compliance. According to Artesia City Attorney Kevin Ennis, Flowers will have a sufficient time frame to comply with the City Council decision. Ennis also pointed out that Building Inspectors for the County of Los Angeles will also have to review the improvements after they are completed. When asked what would happen if county officials do not sign off on the project when concluded, Ennis said we will wait and see. Flowers said that no one lives in the guest house and all she wanted was to get her roof replaced. “I was shocked when I learned about the problem,” Flowers told LCCN. “This was built more than 50 years ago, and no one is doing me any favors,” she said. Flowers also stood firm that she had the support of four out of the five members of the Artesia Planning Commission and all three members of the city council who were eligible to vote on the agenda item. She also pointed to support from some of her neighbors who wrote letters on her behalf during the past several weeks since. The entire 76 page report over the Flowers case can be found online at www.loscerritosnews.net.
If your child was too young for kindergarten in September you might be eligible for . . .
BELLFLOWER UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Jump Start Kindergarten Program
For children with a birthday of December 3, 2011 through February 6, 2012 Jump Start Kindergarten begins February 6, 2012, at designated schools only
For more information, please contact the office of Curriculum and Instruction at (562) 866-9011 ext. 3234 or visit our website—www.busd.k12.ca.us Bring these items with you to enroll:
California Driver’s License with current address Utility bills (gas, electric, water) Child’s birth certificate and immunization records Board of Education
Jerry Cleveland, President • Bill Ste. Marie, Vice President • Paul Helzer, D.C. PhD., Clerk Donald McMackin, Member • Laura Sanchez-Ramirez, Member