Woman Loses Bid to Block Addition

Despite a battle waged on her behalf by neighbors, friends and even her pastor, Rancho Palos Verdes resident Grace Chang lost her bid to keep her next-door neighbor from building a two-story addition that will partially block her family’s ocean view.

In a 5-0 vote, the City Council denied Chang’s bid to prevent her neighbor, Ashis Mandal, from adding a 21-foot-high wing to the rear of his home in the 29000 block of Warnick Road.

Chang complained that the addition would block her view of Catalina Island, which she said was a main motivating factor in the purchase of her home four years ago. Chang, who described herself as a homemaker, said she would be forced to spend much of her day staring at an “ugly piece of obtrusive structure” if the council approved the plan.

Friends, neighbors and her pastor rallied to Chang’s side, arguing that the proposed addition would not be compatible with the neighborhood, which residents said was designed to highlight and preserve ocean views.

However, the council said Mandal’s proposal satisfies city development codes, including neighborhood compatibility and view protection requirements, even though it would deprive the Chang family of their view of Catalina.

“This is not a view protection case,” said Councilwoman Jacki Bacharach. “They still have a beautiful view.”