Homeowners Escalate Fight Over Court Site

Leaders of Chatsworth homeowner groups said Wednesday that they are intensifying their fight against a Los Angeles County proposal to build a courthouse in their neighborhood, planning appearances on radio and television shows as well as using petition and letter-writing campaigns.

The group unveiled a 12-foot-long, 1,000-signature petition demanding that county officials look elsewhere for a Municipal Court site.

As part of their increasingly aggressive campaign to prevent the Los Angeles Municipal Court from building an 18-courtroom facility on the southeast corner of Winnetka Avenue and Plummer Street, the homeowners plan to produce an informational cable television program and scheduled an appearance on a radio talk show.

The group is also attempting to garner support from San Fernando Valley chambers of commerce and intends to mail a questionnaire to 600 residents to determine their opinions on the issue.

Court officials are expected to present their plans for a West Valley courthouse, of three or four stories, to the Board of Supervisors within a month. Court officials have said they selected the Winnetka site because it was the most accessible to West Valley residents.

Homeowners, however, contend that such a facility is ill-suited for the area because it faces single-family homes, and they fear that it will bring crime and increased traffic to their neighborhood, lowering property values.

An aide to Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson, who opposed the courthouse site selection, told homeowners Wednesday that Bernson would consider asking the city attorney to sue the county over land-use issues if the proposal is adopted.