South Pasadena : Ex-Mayor Wins Ruling

Former South Pasadena Mayor Lee Prentiss has won the latest round in a two-year legal battle against the city, which he had sued for revoking a permit to remodel his home.

In addition, Prentiss said Thursday that he has started negotiations with city officials for reaching a financial settlement that is “a lot more” than the $100,000 he seeks in a civil suit, a claim the city denies.

A state appeals court ruling Monday allows Prentiss to regain his permit to remodel and expand his home. The permit was revoked late in 1990 after construction had begun.

Since that time, part of the roof of his 1907 Craftsman-style home on Oaklawn Avenue has been covered with plastic and tar paper.

The city revoked the permit, saying the proposed construction needed an environmental review because Prentiss’ home is one of several in a historical district.

But the court ruled that the listing of a house on the historical registry should not by itself restrict the owner’s use of the property in major ways.

Saying he was “ecstatic” about the appellate ruling, Prentiss added that city officials “used malice to do this, and they were advised (by the court) they were wrong.”

South Pasadena City Manager Kenneth C. Farfsing said the City Council is scheduled to discuss the matter in a closed-door session May 12, including the possibility of appealing the decision to the state Supreme Court.