Jona Goldrich

Jona Goldrich, a Los Angeles developer, will become the eighth recipient of Los Angeles County Scouting's "Good Scout" Award Tuesday at a luncheon at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. The award is presented annually by the Los Angeles County consortium of the five Boy Scouts of America councils: Los Angeles, Van Nuys, Claremont, Pasadena and Glendale, to a professional who best exemplifies the character and qualities promoted by the Scouting movement.

The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday delayed for two weeks considering a motion to amend a plan for Marina del Rey that would allow one of the lawmakers' staunchest political backers to build a luxury apartment complex. Also postponed were discussions in executive session over extending until 2061 developer Jona Goldrich's exclusive lease on the 2.2 acres of public land, which the county and Goldrich say is needed to spur redevelopment of the parcel.

Longtime real estate developers in Los Angeles used to know Jona Goldrich as an eager young immigrant from Israel, not long off a Greyhound bus, who installed window screens for a quarter apiece and cleaned up housing construction sites in such places as the San Fernando Valley. "He had his hat in his hand, looking for work," builder Julian Weinstock recalled. "He was very humble." Though Goldrich is still humble, his friends say, the hat has long since vanished from his hand.

A remade Marina del Rey--one decked out with new high-rises, additional shopping centers and entertainment complexes--is expected to move closer to reality today, when the Board of Supervisors is set to permit one of its staunchest campaign contributors to build a new luxury apartment building. The scheduled action is in the form of two related matters.

Influential builder Jona Goldrich on Friday denied that he had ever agreed to become a partner in bailing out the bankrupt Marina del Rey real estate empire of developer Abraham M. Lurie. Lurie's attorney told a federal bankruptcy court Tuesday that Goldrich would support Lurie's plan to retain control of the properties. Goldrich flatly disputed that assertion in an interview. "I never said I was going to be a partner," he said. "I'm not his partner. I never intended to be his partner."

An election challenger to Los Angeles County Supervisor Deane Dana demanded Monday that he abstain from voting today on a precedent-setting Marina del Rey lease extension for developer and campaign contributor Jona Goldrich.

The county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday delayed for two weeks considering a motion to amend a plan for Marina del Rey that would allow one of the lawmakers' staunchest political backers to build a luxury apartment complex. Also postponed were discussions in executive session over extending until 2061 developer Jona Goldrich's exclusive lease on the 2.2 acres of public land, which the county and Goldrich say is needed to spur redevelopment of the parcel.

Influential builder Jona Goldrich on Friday denied that he ever agreed to become a partner in bailing out the bankrupt Marina del Rey real estate empire of developer Abraham M. Lurie. Lurie's attorney told a federal bankruptcy court Tuesday that Goldrich would support Lurie's plan to retain control of the properties. Goldrich flatly disputed that assertion in an interview. "I never said I was going to be a partner," he said. "I'm not his partner. I never intended to be his partner."

Your Aug. 23 editorial regarding the 35-year-lease extension to Goldrich & Kest (G&K) in the Sunset Marina Park in Huntington Harbor (the "marina") and your previous newspaper articles display an appalling lack of knowledge, starting with your constant statement that G&K owed $200,000 in back rent. The facts are as follows: In the lease among Jona Goldrich, Sol Kest and Mel Grau and the Orange County Harbor District dated Sept. 15, 1969, Section 9 contains a formula for revision of percentage rentals.

As you reported in the Westside Section (Oct. 31), the Culver City Council voted 4 to 1 to change the zoning of the remaining property of Studio Estates. This in spite of opposition by two-thirds of the residents of Studio Estates and by three-quarters of the residents of surrounding streets; in spite of purchases into Studio Estates based on advertisements, verbal promises, and a city plan depicting the area as a total single-family community; in spite of already congested traffic along Overland Avenue, especially at the Washington Boulevard and Venice Boulevard intersections; in spite of an awareness on the part of the council of numerous broken promises and improprieties by the developer, Goldrich & Kest; and in spite of warnings by council staff that not enough consideration had been given to the impact of the commercial buildings on Overland Avenue traffic.

"Threat of Suits Curbs Condo Construction" [Oct. 6] is very correct in that the present law in California discourages the building of condominiums and other projects with common areas and homeowner associations, the main reason being that these homeowner groups have as much as 10 years to find construction defects and sue developers, architects, engineers and contractors. Therefore, building condominiums and townhouses has become very expensive, because of the high costs of insurance and expensive litigation, which ultimately are passed on to the consumer.

Your Aug. 23 editorial regarding the 35-year-lease extension to Goldrich & Kest (G&K) in the Sunset Marina Park in Huntington Harbor (the "marina") and your previous newspaper articles display an appalling lack of knowledge, starting with your constant statement that G&K owed $200,000 in back rent. The facts are as follows: In the lease among Jona Goldrich, Sol Kest and Mel Grau and the Orange County Harbor District dated Sept. 15, 1969, Section 9 contains a formula for revision of percentage rentals.

I just read the article "Riordan Under Fire for Top Appointments" (July 8) and was alarmed by the "pressure politics" beginning so soon after Richard Riordan's election. The notion that we are to staff our city by meeting ethnic quotas obscures the basic goal of appointing the most qualified and talented people. I sincerely hope the newly elected mayor is able to withstand the influence of these ethnic activists. The complex problems facing this city require the need for the talents of the best and brightest people available, be they African-Americans, Latinos, lesbians and gays, or men or women.

Influential builder Jona Goldrich on Friday denied that he ever agreed to become a partner in bailing out the bankrupt Marina del Rey real estate empire of developer Abraham M. Lurie. Lurie's attorney told a federal bankruptcy court Tuesday that Goldrich would support Lurie's plan to retain control of the properties. Goldrich flatly disputed that assertion in an interview. "I never said I was going to be a partner," he said. "I'm not his partner. I never intended to be his partner."

Influential builder Jona Goldrich on Friday denied that he had ever agreed to become a partner in bailing out the bankrupt Marina del Rey real estate empire of developer Abraham M. Lurie. Lurie's attorney told a federal bankruptcy court Tuesday that Goldrich would support Lurie's plan to retain control of the properties. Goldrich flatly disputed that assertion in an interview. "I never said I was going to be a partner," he said. "I'm not his partner. I never intended to be his partner."

In a bold move to maintain control of a crippled Marina del Rey real estate empire, the marina's biggest developer Tuesday disclosed plans to join forces with a prominent Los Angeles builder. The new partnership of bankrupt developer Abraham M. Lurie and politically influential builder Jona Goldrich would give the team control of nearly a quarter of the publicly owned marina, worth at least $200 million.

"Threat of Suits Curbs Condo Construction" [Oct. 6] is very correct in that the present law in California discourages the building of condominiums and other projects with common areas and homeowner associations, the main reason being that these homeowner groups have as much as 10 years to find construction defects and sue developers, architects, engineers and contractors. Therefore, building condominiums and townhouses has become very expensive, because of the high costs of insurance and expensive litigation, which ultimately are passed on to the consumer.

I just read the article "Riordan Under Fire for Top Appointments" (July 8) and was alarmed by the "pressure politics" beginning so soon after Richard Riordan's election. The notion that we are to staff our city by meeting ethnic quotas obscures the basic goal of appointing the most qualified and talented people. I sincerely hope the newly elected mayor is able to withstand the influence of these ethnic activists. The complex problems facing this city require the need for the talents of the best and brightest people available, be they African-Americans, Latinos, lesbians and gays, or men or women.

Despite pleas from Supervisor Gloria Molina not to rush into a deal that will tie the county's hands beyond the middle of the next century, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a precedent-setting extension on a major Marina del Rey lease. The board's 4-1 vote, which came after more than three hours of heated discussion, gives Jona Goldrich control of 18 acres of county-owned waterfront property until the year 2062.

An election challenger to Los Angeles County Supervisor Deane Dana demanded Monday that he abstain from voting today on a precedent-setting Marina del Rey lease extension for developer and campaign contributor Jona Goldrich.