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Villaraigosa to Break Zoning Laws with Home Security Fence
Photo by R. E. ~ via the LAist Featured Photos pool
Lots of people in Los Angeles crave privacy. Many of them are people who have chosen to make careers out of living life in the public eye, and then decide that actually, being in the public eye sucks (yes, I'm looking at you, famouses). Well, now we can add to that list one Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has won the right to break zoning laws and go against the wishes of the very constituents he serves by building fence around his Windsor Square residence.TheHuffington Post reports that the Mayor's request to build a six foot wall for security purposes was recently approved. The request was down from an eight and a half foot wall, although at six feet the proposed barrier still breaks zoning regulations, which state that a wall can't be higher than 42 inches.
The wall was opposed by the Windsor Square Association, which is known for its fierce protective tendencies towards the historic neighborhood. You may recall, for instance, that they helped to prevent a subway stop from going up along the purple line expansion.
According to HuffPo, the idea came not from the mayor himself but from LAPD and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, but that Villaraigosa was nevertheless the one who filed for an exception to the 42-inch limit.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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