FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACTS: Whittier Conservancy Charles Claver: (323) 369-9382; charles.claver@uboc.com Attorneys Susan Brandt-Hawley, Rachel Howlett: 707-938-3908; 707-932-0007; susanbh@econet.org

Whittier Conservancy Sues City to Stop Demolition

Whittier (May 25, 2007) – The Whittier Conservancy filed a lawsuit against
the City of Whittier on Wednesday May 23rd in the Los Angeles Superior Court, to stop the demolition of the historic 1920s and 1930s Art Deco and Craftsman-style California Domestic Water Buildings on Whittier Boulevard in East Whittier. The lawsuit was brought to challenge the City’s failure to follow mandates of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and City ordinances relevant to the demolition of historic buildings.

In 2005, the City approved Cal Domestic’s request to replace its aging reservoir and pump house with new facilities. Among the project conditions were the retention of the four historic buildings on its original site and the blending of the design of the new buildings with the original office and pump house. The Art Deco features of the 1930s historic structures were to be reflected in the design of the new construction.

However, Cal Domestic approached the City with an application for demolition of all four historic buildings in November 2006, including the 1934 office, 1932 pump house, and 1921 worker’s house and garage located at 15505 and 15521 East Whittier Boulevard. The City’s retained historic consultant and the Historic Resources Commission easily found these buildings to be quite relevant to the history of Whittier, especially East Whittier, where only a few such resources still exist. Families such as the Murphys (of famed Murphy Ranch) and the Wardmans (Whittier Telephone and Whittier College) were among those who utilized the site and transformed East Whittier with their innovations. There are only five remaining sites left in East Whittier, and the Cal Domestic buildings, with their rich history and contributions to the development of the citrus industry and East Whittier itself, are in fine shape and very worthy of saving.

However, on May 8th, on a 3-2 vote, the City Council overturned the decision of the Commission and approved the demolition. Landscaping has been removed from the site this week and demolition was imminent before the filing of the lawsuit.

The Conservancy has filed this legal action to stop the demolition because CEQA requires California cities to prepare an Environmental Impact Report before considering the demolition of historic buildings. The EIR analyzes the proposed project and its impacts, and considers feasible mitigations and – most importantly – alternatives to demolition that could allow the project to go forward without losing important cultural resources unique to a community. The Conservancy has always fought for the quality of life in Whittier, especially for the retention and recycling of historic resources. In this matter, the City and Cal Domestic, in their haste to accommodate a proposed new restaurant at the site, did not follow the law. At the Council Meeting it was clear that Cal Domestic was also asking for a city subsidy in order to facilitate the deal with their potential lessee. The Conservancy does not believe that the taxpayers should foot the bill for a private company to demolish a unique historic community resource and put in yet another cookie cutter development. The existing buildings are in very good shape and the possibility of turning them into a restaurant should be considered.

Conservancy member Charles Claver stated: “Suing the City is not something that the Conservancy takes lightly. It has become apparent in the past couple of years that the City has become careless with the community’s historic resources that it is entrusted to safeguard. Recent decisions by the current city council have begun to erode some of the very important gains made in Whittier following the 1987 earthquake. The Cal Domestic demolition was the last straw. If the City can’t function legally, then we simply have no choice but to challenge its actions.”

            Conservancy President Dorothea Boyd urged the city to act responsibly and consider adaptive reuse as required by CEQA: “It is the most successful type of development currently driving the renovations of most cities. People can get corporate, replicated, cheaply-constructed fad development anywhere and everywhere. Whittier is special. Let’s keep it that way. We fought this battle already, after the earthquake. Enough already. East Whittier deserves some recognition for its contribution to the history of our city. Cal Domestic has been a prominent feature on Whittier Blvd for 75 years. There’s just no reason to destroy those lovely buildings.”

            Historic preservation attorney Susan Brandt-Hawley, representing the Conservancy, stated that, “the City’s failure to comply with CEQA in approving the demolition of the Cal Domestic buildings is blatant. In similar cases around California, we have found that when a City takes a fair look at incorporating historic resources into a project, as required by law, a feasible alternative for adaptive reuse is often discovered. The resulting project becomes a great community asset reflecting its unique history. That is what should happen here.”