RESEDA : Petting Zoo Defies City, Remains Open

The owner of a Reseda petting zoo and pony ride is still operating despite a Los Angeles City Council action taken two weeks ago aimed at shutting her down.

Linda Menary, owner of The Farm, said she will continue her legal fight to keep her business after the first of the year.

Meanwhile, the case is being reviewed by the city attorney’s office. Officials there said it is unlikely that Menary’s case will be dealt with until January.

The City Council voted to reject Menary’s last appeal for a permit to legally run the business on Dec. 8. Since then, the pony ride-petting zoo has kept operating on weekends.

“It (the council decision) hasn’t affected me yet,” Menary said. She has threatened to sue the city over the decision.

Menary has been trying to get a permit to operate for months, despite frequent setbacks at the hands of city officials. She appealed the case all the way to the City Council in the hope that public support for her business would prompt the city to change its mind. But Councilwoman Laura Chick, who represents the area, has continued to argue that the business is inappropriate for the neighborhood.

Menary kept the pony ride open throughout the permit process in accordance with a 1990 court settlement in which she agreed to apply for a permit.

Menary’s operation has long provoked complaints about noise and animal smells from neighbors. But it has also been lauded by area residents who say it is one of the few places left in Los Angeles where children can commune with farm animals.