TOPANGA : Couple Convicted of Code Violations

A Topanga couple who accused county officials of extortion have been convicted of building-code violations in connection with a rental house on a feud-ridden cul-de-sac.

A Superior Court jury sitting in Malibu deliberated four days before convicting Art Starz and Kathleen Kenny last week of violating Los Angeles County plumbing, electrical, health and building codes. Starz was convicted on 14 counts and Kenny was convicted on two.

Prosecutors said the couple made improvements on the house without building permits.

Kenny said prosecutors wasted the public’s time with the case, which she maintains was the result of pressure by neighbors and county officials who had personal differences with her and Starz.

“In this time of Rodney Kings and Reginald Dennys, 12 adults spent 32 hours discussing when we put in a water heater,” Kenny said. “It’s just mind-blowing.”

The unoccupied house on one of three lots owned by the couple is built to code, Kenny said. But four years of attempts to get permits have proved fruitless.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Joan Manley, who prosecuted the case, said her office was obliged to pursue charges after Kenny and Starz failed to cooperate with other county agencies.

“If, after the best efforts to get someone to correct a problem, there is no progress, that’s where we come in,” Manley said.

The convictions are the latest development in a bizarre, four-year battle between Starz and Kenny, their neighbors on Cave Way, and county building and safety and health officials.

At the center of the conflict is a 700-square-foot house that, like many homes in rustic Topanga Canyon, had been rented to tenants without proper certification from the county.

Claiming they were denied building permits for the house because they refused to bribe county officials, Starz and Kenny filed a racketeering lawsuit against Los Angeles County, several county employees and a private architect in 1993.

A federal judge dismissed the complaint in April.

Each misdemeanor count carries a possible maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and six months in jail. Sentencing is set for June 15.