Picus Attacks Plan for Separate Men’s Facility at Golf Club

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Joy Picus on Wednesday attacked a developer’s plans to build a separate men’s grill and card room at a proposed golf course.

Picus charged that the restricted facilities would violate the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance.

“The city needs to act immediately to reject any kind of proposed project which denies full, open use of all facilities to women,” Picus said in a statement issued by her office.

500-Member Club

Cosmo World Corp. has proposed development of the private, 500-member Los Angeles International Golf Club on 367 acres in the Tujunga Wash. The project, which has received community support, includes construction of a two-story, 40,000-square-foot clubhouse with the men’s grill and card room, among other facilities.

Picus contended that the project, which was brought to her attention by city planners reviewing the developer’s plans, violates an ordinance that she drafted last year prohibiting discrimination in private clubs.

Richard Babbitt, a spokesman for Cosmo World, said Wednesday that, if the company has proposed a project that would violate the ordinance, it did so “out of ignorance.” He added that the company would redesign the project to comply with the law.

Another spokesman for the developer had said earlier that, if Picus had called the company before issuing her statement, she would have found that the developer planned to build a “ladies’ lounge,” which would be equal to the men’s grill and card room, but in a separate part of the clubhouse.

Picus said separate but equal facilities are not permitted under city law.

She predicted that the developer will revise his plan to comply with the law. Otherwise, she said, “there is no way that we can grant the approvals for it.”