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June 26, 2011· scvtalk.com · WordPress (SCVTalk 3.0) · Wayback capture

Phonehenge West & Conformity

By Jeff — Jeff Wilson

What’s the deal with that man in Acton with the funny house that authorities say is unsafe and out-of-code? Does he deserve jail time for it? A great documentary below explains (ht: Gangfang)

An embedded Vimeo video appeared here in the original post. View the original — embeds are preserved as links in this archive.

Phonehenge West from Devin Schiro on Vimeo.

There’s a picnic/barbecue this afternoon in support of Phonehenge’s creator, and one man told the Signal some county officials might be hung in effigy.

Comments (22)

  1. spineflower2June 26, 2011 at 11:36 am
    Jail time is silly. But it doesn’t comply with building safety codes, so it must go.
  2. JeffJune 26, 2011 at 11:42 am
    Lessons in building safety from the County of Los Angeles? Come again? This is the same county that permits builders to construct trailer parks backed up against a hillside with only one exit. I get the feeling Phonehenge would be fine in a place like Ojai or some place that was more artistically varied.
  3. ToddJune 26, 2011 at 11:50 am
    Such is living in “county” and not in a city. I like having direct access to my elected officials, and being able to drive 20 minutes or less down to city hall and get my permits checked and signed off. Not so much when you live in Acton. No matter what, if its unpermitted, then it needs to be brought up to code. The guy didn’t do himself any favors goin in without a lawyer (IIRC) to fight this.
  4. Capt. GeneJune 27, 2011 at 7:22 pm
    Yeah, probably best to just let people build whatever they want without permits and inspection since the county has proven time and again that they don’t know what they are doing….of course that same principle does not apply to health care and the federal government.
  5. LindaJune 26, 2011 at 4:44 pm
    As I understand it, there are no real “code” violations. He just didn’t pull permits. But you have to choose your battles in this life and he certainly chose his. There are places in this country where he could have lived and built to his heart’s content without being hassled. L.A. County is not one of those places.
  6. Gang FangJune 26, 2011 at 8:07 pm
    This week’s issue of the LA Weekly has a very interesting article on what the county is doing to people all over the Antelope Valley: http://www.laweekly.com/2011-06-23/news/l-a-county-s-private-property-war/ I highly, highly suggest you visit Kim’s place for yourself, and talk to him directly about it or phone him up. He is an articulate and passionate man, and throws a hell of a BBQ. His place is sturdier than any stucco subdivision crap, and LA County knows it. Makes me sick. LA County is screwing him. HARD.
  7. CCJune 26, 2011 at 9:14 pm
    Also, didn’t this guy build on this place for years and years without a problem? Seems to me the building inspectors would serve the County better if they took a look at some of the apartment buildings that are sub standard.
  8. Gang FangJune 26, 2011 at 9:19 pm
    Absolutely.
  9. LarMccJune 26, 2011 at 10:11 pm
    The building inspectors have been after him almost since day one. It’s not like he has been doing this forever and they decided to pick on him all of a sudden. He is doing this the right way in that he is building this out in the desert on his own land and out of the reach of any HOA. Good for him. But he is building 90 foot tall structures that are intended to be habitable and inviting the public in for tours. The county has said that some (apparently not all) of the structures are unsafe and are not permitted. I have seen the county work with homeowners on structures to bring them into compliance. They only order a teardown if there is no other option. The county (as with most public agencies) is not easy to work with. Still, everyone has to respect the law and get the proper permits and ensure the structures are built in a manner that will satisfy building and safety inspectors. The guy should have put his efforts into satisfying the county back in the 80′s when he began the work and when the county first raised concerns.
  10. Gang FangJune 27, 2011 at 7:09 am
    Once again, talk to Kim. He satisfied the county in the 80s, and then when he wanted to add more and submitted the plans…..they were lost by the county. Twice. Only then did he continue to build. Then 11 years later they show up, drag him to court, railroad him, drain hard earned money from him, and potentially ruin his life. Over a building? A building that is safer than any Wal Mart or new suburban tract home? The county won’t work with Kim, as they just want his home destroyed. Along with countless others in the AV. The new well requirements are ridiculous, financially crippling, and Orwellian with it’s arbitrary oversight. Weed abatement is the same, as others that Antonovich came up with in 2006. It’s obvious the county plans to attempt to fill this part of Southern California with tract homes, and knows it’s easy to go after those who can’t afford to suddenly abide by ever changing and ridiculous regulations and code. Fahey is just one of many in the way.
  11. Gang FangJune 27, 2011 at 7:10 am
    http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/47131/
  12. spineflower2June 27, 2011 at 7:19 am
    Talking to him doesn’t change the fact that this is a huge structure intended for use by people, and it has little if any permits, inspections, etc. Wake up, this is California. One fall or other accident and the lawyers come out, first for the owner, and when they figure out he’s poor, the County for allowing it. And we taxpayers then foot the bills. No thanks. I know firsthand how hard it can be to get County approvals. It took me three years to do a simple property split, and the fire department was the worst, forcing me to appeal to the top board for relief from a misinterpreted clause and a zealot of a captain (who was later disciplined for his actions). But that’s reality when building in this lawsuit happy world we have created. Frustration doesn’t excuse not following the law. Look, you want to build, you do it legally. He didn’t, so he loses. I have little sympathy when he chose to ignore this.
  13. Gang FangJune 27, 2011 at 7:39 am
    Who do you think is footing the bill for the trials, inspections, public defender, etc? And that is reality. Your slip and fall and assumption that someone would sue story is fantasy. The money is already coming out of your pocket thanks to the County, not Fahey. He “loses”? You probably shush people in the library, and were the one snitching to the teacher in school. I hope you never have to watch your life crumble before your eyes. Talking to Kim, or better yet visiting his property, would explain what words can’t. But folks who are scared into obeying every last rule usually aren’t the type to feel much other than smugness. Enjoy your day. Don’t forget to come to a full and complete stop.
  14. spineflower2June 27, 2011 at 8:51 am
    “Scared into obeying every last rule” “shush people in the library” “snitching to the teacher” Gee, you apparently must resort to making $hit up about me in order to discredit my opinion. Speaks volumes.
  15. Gang FangJune 27, 2011 at 9:26 am
    Consider the nerve hit.
  16. spineflower2June 27, 2011 at 9:42 am
    Not a nerve, unless you include the “funny bone” a nerve. You can beat your strawman, but what does that prove?
  17. Capt. GeneJune 27, 2011 at 7:26 pm
    Gang Fang is a known quantity, always on the wrong side of the issue, consider the source.
  18. LarMccJune 27, 2011 at 8:35 am
    I am glad YOU know the building is safer than any Walmart. I don’t have an engineering degree, I personally tend to rely on building inspectors to ensure things that are built are safe. People are letting their teenage kids hang out over there inside these buildings. If you want to trust that a retired phone tech made this 90-foot structure safe, good for you. I read the article in LA Weekly. It presents one side of the situation. They were even invited along with code enforcement for a week but I don’t recall seeing more than a sentence or two about this. Do you really believe that the county is after these peoples land? I mean c’mon it’s Llano. I just drove through the AV and past Llano yesterday. It’s the AV, there is no shortage of land or tract homes here.
  19. Gang FangJune 27, 2011 at 9:33 am
    I do believe it. We’ll see in the coming years if I’m wrong. In Acton specifically, there are very very few tract homes. “People are letting their teenage kids hang out over there inside these buildings.” – As they should! I personally parent in a way that encourages kids to get dirty, take risks within reason, and experience things hands on. This place is a haven for that. Not for uptight polo sweater types. Kim is ridiculously careful about letting anyone go where they shouldn’t, and all the kids I’ve seen there leave with a renewed sense of wonder you can’t teach with YouTube clips and a dose of some lame school field trip. In the end, y’all are missing out! You can argue till your face turns blue, but just wait and see…….
  20. spineflower2June 27, 2011 at 9:40 am
    Yeah, let’s save money and eliminate inspections for Magic Mountain and gas pipelines while we are at it. Surely we should take those healthy risks, right? No one would sue if there are problems later. Freedom rules! No regulation! That always works out well.
  21. Gang FangJune 27, 2011 at 3:40 pm
    I said nothing like that about those services, and never once said “no regulation”. Apples and oranges. In your case, apples and oranges cut into bite sized pieces that are safe and approved by the American Anti Choking Board. Have fun staying in the lines, I hear it’s very rewarding.
  22. SCV SageJune 27, 2011 at 1:44 pm
    Folks: There are a number of iconic places within the City of Santa Clarita which are not to code and are not given appropriate attention even though they are used for human occupancy — one of them is a famous movie studio in Placerita Canyon used by the City of its Cowboy Festival every April. The City conveniently turns a blind eye and excuses the need for buildings being kept up to code due to an exemption given the studio under the guise that it is a mere movie set without permanent buildings used for human occupancy. This also means that the City does not collect any fee for building inspections and improvements remain untaxed on the property tax rolls. The main reason the County is going after this gentleman is mainly make an example of him for others who might not toe the line; and for revenue enhancement

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