Trade School Goes to Court to Get License

An automotive trade school that opened in Lawndale in October without City Council approval has asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to order the city to issue it a business license.

The city has refused a business license to Unified Schools of America, saying it is in violation of the zoning code, which prohibits schools on Hawthorne, Redondo Beach and Artesia boulevards.

A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 2, Assistant City Atty. Robert Owen said.

The school referred calls to its lawyer, Michael Starler, who could not be reached Friday.

Owen said the city code prohibits hospitals, trailers and all types of schools--including trade schools--from the three main thoroughfares.

Owen said Unified interprets schools to mean those that are boarding or residential. “Our interpretation means all schools,” he said.

The school is located in the 15000 block of Hawthorne Boulevard.

Unified also charged that the city approved business licenses in 1982 and 1986 for South Bay Automotive Training Center and Barclay College, both on Hawthorne Boulevard, Owen said.

But Owen said that those schools received permits under a misinterpretation of city zoning rules and that their cases did not go before the council.

The city told Unified on Oct. 5 that trade schools are indeed prohibited, Owen said.

A special zoning permit might have solved the dilemma, but Unified officials decided to open on Oct. 23 without waiting for a compromise, he said.

The city has issued two misdemeanor violations to the school for operating without a license. The maximum penalties are $1,000 and one year in jail, Owen said.