Opinion: City Hall should make an example of the scofflaw Bel-Air mega-mansion builder

To the editor: Reading about developer Mohamed Hadid’s Bel-Air mansion brought to mind my mother’s battle against a La Jolla homeowner who tried to sneak an extra 15 feet above the height limit onto his house addition across the street to snag a better ocean view. (“Celebrity developer pleads no contest to Bel-Air mega-mansion charges. But what happens to the 30,000-square-foot estate?” May 30)

Ever vigilant, Mom led her other angry neighbors to protest at City Hall, and they won. The law and citizens prevailed, and his extra floor came down.

This Hadid monstrosity dwarfs that La Jolla excess. This isn’t a slight breach, but a major, flagrant, intentional defiance of city codes.

Building a 70-foot tall home (34 feet above the permitted height) and doubling the floor space from the 15,000 square feet permitted to 30,000 demand drastic action from the city of Los Angeles. Only a firm response will send a clear message to other would-be scofflaws.

The Bel-Air project must be cut in half in size and height, or every other gazillionaire in Los Angeles will try to outdo this illegal breach

Beth Wagner Brust, La Jolla

..

To the editor: I find it ironic and deeply troubling that city officials are moving forward with legal action against the builder of a Bel-Air mega-mansion for code violations, while at the same time giving an apparent free pass to the owners of substandard rental housing in low-income neighborhoods.

Although often in serious violation of multiple codes, owners of these dangerously substandard properties are allowed to continue doing business, often facilitated by inspectors who look the other way.

This disparity provides yet another example of the different standards we have for the rich and the poor in Los Angeles: For the rich, the full force of the law comes down when neighbors complain, and for the poor, three siblings sleep together on a small closet floor.

Tanya Tull, Los Angeles

The writer is founder and chief executive of Partnering for Change.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook