Judge Denies PPRA Eldercare Facility Lawsuit

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

Apetition for writ of mandate brought by Pacific Palisades Residents Association, which challenged city of Los Angeles and California Coastal Commission decisions regarding a proposed eldercare facility in The Highlands, has been denied by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge John A. Torribio

PPRA has been fighting against the development of an eldercare facility in The Highlands since 2018, appealing exemptions and approvals by the city and coastal commission of the four-story, 45-feet-high, 64,646-square-foot project by Brentwood-based developer Rony Shram.

PPRA last took the city to court on March 12 after filing a lawsuit in 2018 as a “petition for writ of mandate,” standing before Judge Torribio at the Norwalk Courthouse for a hearing.

On April 21, an order ruling was filed and denied by Torribio: “The court has reviewed the parties’ briefs and considered the arguments raised at the hearing, and rules as follows: Pacific Palisades Residents Association Inc.’s petition for writ of mandate is denied.”

PPRA said this challenges what they had initially understood—that the court would issue a new tentative ruling and a new trial date for the parties to return for further argument.

According to a transcript of the proceedings, Judge Torribio said at the March 12 hearing: “I may give another tentative and bring you back, because I’m thinking this has really changed a lot. It’s changed substantially more than what I normally see.”

PPRA claims that the eldercare case was halted on March 12 and PPRA’s attorneys, Thomas Donovan and John Murdock, were not allowed to complete their arguments.

The court ruling states that the project is “expressly consistent with the site zoning designation.”

The ruling also states that “substantial evidence supports [the] city’s findings that the project will not have a significant impact on traffic or noise” and is consistent with the Brentwood-Pacific Palisades Community Plan.

“The court … decided not to allow PPRA the opportunity to present the full case,” PPRA President Sarah Conner said via email to the Palisadian-Post. “PPRA will consider all its options, including pursuing a more measured decision at the appellate level.