Homeowner Meeting That Ended in Brawl Broke School Rules

Encino homeowner groups that hosted a meeting at an elementary school last August that erupted into a fist-swinging brawl with Tarzana residents violated Los Angeles Unified School District policies by restricting admission, school officials said Wednesday.

However, Richard Mason, special counsel for the district, said that no action would be taken against the organizers--the Encino Hillside Traffic Safety Organization and the Encino Property Owners Assn.-- because the violation was not intentional.

Mason said the Encino groups should not have distributed advance tickets for the meeting, which was held Aug. 17 at Lanai Road School.

The meeting dealt with the proposed extension of Reseda Boulevard to ease traffic congestion in Encino hillside neighborhoods. Fistfights broke out between residents of two of the San Fernando Valley’s most well-to-do neighborhoods, pitting Encino residents, who supported the extension, against Tarzana residents and other Valley homeowners who opposed it.

The fighting began in part because the Tarzana protesters were angry at being refused admittance.

Some Tarzana residents complained to the district that they were illegally prevented from attending the meeting by security guards because they did not have tickets. They said they had a right to attend because the meeting was on public property and Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude was speaking.

Representatives of the Encino groups said they distributed tickets because they feared opponents would take over the meeting.

“Use of tickets in any way is not in accordance with district policy,” Mason said. He added that the groups have since been warned not to issue tickets to future meetings in schools.

Mason said the use of guards, however, “was not only appropriate, but desirable” since there was a possibility of violence.