Neighborhood Council votes, over opposition, to support Albert Dunne and
Lincoln Place
By Jim
Smith
A divided neighborhood council
(GRVNC) board voted May 28 to oppose the eviction of 88-year-old World War II
veteran, Albert Dunne. Last month the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously
to evict the purple-heart winner. The board resolution asks L.A. Councilmember
Cindy Miscikowski.
Later in the meeting, the board voted,
again with opposition, to oppose further demolitions at Lincoln Place.
In support of Albert Dunne, 2nd Vice
President Chris Wood said, “this is what a neighborhood council is all
about.”
Board member Laddie
Williams added that she was “elected by senior citizens in Oakwood”
and supported their rights.
Jeff Miles
stated that the neighborhood council represents the city and shouldn’t
take sides.
However, Lydia Poncé
responded that we represent the neighborhood
first.
However, Chris Williams - who
ultimately voted against Dunne - said that property rights gave the landlord the
right to evict.
In fact, it was
Dunne’s previous landlord, Michael Sant, who got a hardship exemption to a
no eviction moratorium when remodeling costs less that $10,000. Whether that
exemption could be transferred to the current landlord, Todd Flournoy, is a
matter of some dispute. Dunne has lived at the same Rose Avenue address for the
past 46 years.
The Board resolution
asks that Dunne not be evicted while a lawsuit filed by Legal Aide is
underway.
Chris Williams was the lone vote
against the resolution, however, Chris Bedrosian, John Caldwell, Jeff Miles and
Barbara Gibson abstained. Elena Popp, who supports Dunne, also had to abstain
since her law office is handling the
suit.
The Neighborhood Council took up
the preservation of Lincoln Place for the first time. Last month, two of the
garden-style apartments were bulldozed (See May Beachhead’s front page).
At its May meeting, the GRVNC, approved a resolution directed at L.A. City
Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski. It urges her “to do anything and
everything in her power, legally and political, to accomplish the preservation
of the historic Lincoln Place apartments.” Two Board members, Chris
Williams and Barbara Gibson, voted no. Two others, Rick Feibusch and Jeff Miles,
abstained. The rest of the Board voted yes.
Posted: Sun - June 1, 2003 at 03:06 PM