County Urged to Consider 2 Alternate Courthouse Sites : Development: Councilman Ernani Bernardi says two vacant buildings in his district might be better options than the proposed Chatsworth location.

Los Angeles City Councilman Ernani Bernardi proposed Thursday that instead of moving ahead with plans to build a municipal courthouse in Chatsworth, the Board of Supervisors should consider using an abandoned hospital in Lake View Terrace or a former department store in Panorama City.

Bernardi’s suggestions came two days after county supervisors voted 3 to 1 to move ahead with plans for the courthouse in Chatsworth, despite intense opposition from local residents who say the plan will bring traffic and noise to the residential community.

In a letter to Supervisor Mike Antonovich, Bernardi said either of the two sites in his district should be considered as an alternative to the Chatsworth site or as supplemental court facilities.

Neither site is in the West Valley area, however, which is where officials have said the new courthouse space is needed.

“It may be a long shot, but they’re having a lot of problems in Chatsworth and maybe we can offer them a site,” Bernardi said.

He added that the Lake View Terrace site has good freeway access and bus service, making it a convenient alternative to a West Valley site.

One of the proposed sites is the former Lake View Medical Center in Lake View Terrace, which includes 14 acres of land and three buildings.

The property was seriously considered at one time as a home for a Phoenix House drug rehabilitation center for which former First Lady Nancy Reagan has raised millions of dollars.

The second site is a former Robinson’s Department Store, a three-story building at the corner of Chase Street and Van Nuys Boulevard in Panorama City.