Retiree called out as a noisemaker by neighbor addresses council
After being outed as a noisy neighbor in several La Cañada Flintridge City Council meeting discussions pertaining to a citywide noise ordinance, retiree Benjamin Chen told his side of the story Monday, defending his in-home carpentry as reasonable and necessary.
“Today I come here regarding the noise issue,” Chen addressed council members in a public comment, explaining the source of the sound. “After retiring in 2008, I’ve been trying to update my house and have been doing a lot of cabinetry work.”
Chen’s Belair Drive neighbor, Helga Ohannesian, first approached the council in a February 2014 meeting, claiming she and her family are regularly forced to suffer long periods of carpentry noise due to a neighbor’s using saws and woodworking tools in his garage and backyard.
She urged council members, already engaged in drafting a comprehensive noise ordinance to regulate sound levels from construction, landscaping, animals and loud parties, to also consider addressing loud hobbies.
“I hope something can be done, (so) that I don’t have to live behind a wood-working shop, “Ohannesian said in a June 1 council meeting. “When do I get some peace?”
At that meeting, former City Attorney Ken Brown advised Ohannesian she could seek to have the matter resolved through the court system as a public nuisance case, and offered to meet with both parties to see if a solution might be mediated beforehand.
But on Monday, speaking publicly on the matter for the first time, Chen said his woodworking was necessary for him and wife Ruth to make updates on their home and that he’s always been mindful to keep the work within the confines established in the city’s current ordinance.
“This woodworking is a necessity, not, as she claimed, a hobby,” he told council. “(And) I only work within the hours that the city allows me.”
Chen refuted Ohannesian’s claim that the noise is a daily occurrence, pointing to a logbook of projects indicating that he’s only done nine wood-working projects since his 2008 retirement. Further, he claimed Ohannesian has repeatedly disturbed his peace by harassing him on the subject of noise.
“Whenever I work on it, I realize it’s noisy. (But) whenever I work on it, she stops me,” Chen said, recounting how he once called the sheriff’s department in 2013 to ask deputies to intervene on his behalf. “Every time, she harasses me.”
Chen’s wife, Ruth Chen, claimed she and her husband have tried to accommodate their neighbor’s requests over the years, taking several measures to mitigate the noise.
“We cooperate with Helga,” she said.
City Manager Mark Alexander asked the Chens if they would be willing to sit with Brown and discuss a possible resolution. They agreed, and contact information was exchanged.
“Let’s see if we can work this out,” Mayor Dave Spence told the couple.
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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com
Twitter: @SaraCardine
