GLENDALE : Porker Finds No Friends on Council

In Tarzana they let Luke Perry, star of TV’s “Beverly Hills 90210,” keep three Vietnamese potbellied pigs at his digs. But the Glendale City Council didn’t want to hear an oink Tuesday from resident Randall Jahelka, who wants to keep just one of the popular porkers.

Jahelka’s campaign to keep 70-pound “Hamburger” ended after council members decided not to adopt an ordinance that would allow the animals to be kept as pets in Glendale.

“I’m not trying to cause anybody any problems,” said Jahelka, 32, who bought Hamburger at a La Crescenta pet shop in October. “I’ve been fighting an uphill battle. I think they (council members) were fair. . . . (But) I was disappointed I didn’t get a chance to speak.”

After being cited for keeping a potbellied pig at his home in a semirural neighborhood at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, Jahelka asked the council in May to consider changing the ordinance banning farm animals from the city.

The council told city staff to conduct a survey about the pigs and whatever impact they might have in Glendale. On Tuesday, council members reviewed an eight-page report by Senior Assistant City Atty. Ron Braden, who recommended against accommodating the pigs.

Although the animals are allowed in nearby cities, ranging from Burbank to Beverly Hills to Monterey Park, Braden cited such potential problems as the lack of facilities to care for stray pigs and the need to vaccinate them for rabies. No known rabies cases have occurred concerning potbellied pigs, which are omnivorous.

The council did not ask for any public comment on the matter and took no action on the report, allowing Glendale’s law to stand.

“I was satisfied with the recommendation . . . so there was no reason to proceed further,” Councilman Sheldon S. Baker said.

Jahelka, who faces a misdemeanor charge for keeping Hamburger, has to find a new owner for the animal by Aug. 19, or be tried in court.

“He’s been my best friend. . . . He’s going to be sad,” Jahelka said. “I’d like to find him a good home.”