L.A. OKs Payment in Cathedral Case
By supporting the Roman Catholic Archdiocese in efforts to quickly demolish St. Vibiana’s Cathedral in downtown, the city of Los Angeles suffered a series of legal defeats.
One proved costly Tuesday as the City Council approved a nearly $345,000 settlement to the attorneys who represented the Los Angeles Conservancy. The archdiocese will not have to pay any of those legal fees, according to council staff members who described the closed-door session.
“Now the conservancy can turn its full energies to preserving St. Vibiana’s Cathedral,” said Jack H. Rubens of the Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton law firm that represented the preservation group. Rubens became conservancy president after the main decision in the cathedral cases.
Councilman Joel Wachs said he supported paying the attorney fees because the city violated its own procedures in aiding Cardinal Roger M. Mahony.
The conservancy last year challenged city permits to demolish the quake-damaged church and a council action eliminating its landmark status without proper environmental studies.
After losing in court, the city and archdiocese are preparing such reports. Partly because of the delays, the archdiocese is building a new cathedral on another downtown site.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
