Earlier this year Palisadian Stephanie Smith made international headlines after her San Bernardino commercial properties were raided by police seeking an illicit cannabis farm.
She was called many names, including “pot queen” and “cannabis drug lord”—all of which she rejects.
Now she is facing troubles closer to home, as neighbors challenge her plans to transform her small traditional house in El Medio Bluffs into a 12,000-square-foot mansion.
As with the San Bernardino raids, the problems seem to be in the paperwork.
Richard Blumenberg, of the Pacific Palisades Civic League, which protects architectural standards in Tract 9300, where the Puerto Del Mar home sits, said he had written to city planners demanding that the plans be denied or suspended until the League has reviewed them. As of April 2, they have not yet seen the blueprints.
Sarah Conner, president of the Pacific Palisades Residents Association, said they oppose the project due to long-standing concerns about geological issues in the area, which is prone to slide, and ensuring that it falls, not literally, within Coastal Commission guidelines.
Smith’s project is looking to repair a “slope failure,” demolish the current standing single-family home and replace it with a new 12,000-square-foot residence, according to public records.
While the project has promoted public interest partially due to Smith’s appearance in headlines around the world, Frances Tibbits, a neighbor, said her “concern is not her character, it’s the character of the house, the property, the street and the geology.”
Tibbits said the backyard has fallen away over the years and that the street itself might not be able to handle the heavy construction equipment.
Ben Eilenberg, Smith’s attorney, gave the Palisadian-Post an exclusive look at a rendering of the proposed home that will be built into the hillside.
The longtime Palisadian mother, who in the past has been active in many local organizations, including the Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club, wants to build a better home for her kids that will take advantage of a beautiful Oceanside view, Eilenberg said.
He said he was confident that community members will feel more comfortable “once people get to see what it is going to be.”
The attorney said they are working to provide the necessary documents ahead of an April 18 hearing by the West Los Angeles Planning Commission.
It offers a distraction from her forthcoming legal battle with San Bernardino police for damages inflicted when they raided what she argues is an entirely legal cannabis real estate development. She owns the three targeted buildings: Growers are tenants who were fully compliant with state law and had been seeking San Bernardino city permits, Smith said in January.
At worse, she faced misdemeanors over permit and paperwork issues, charges that have not followed, but, she claims, the raid destroyed more than 100 local jobs.
Smith posted security camera footage from January when police turned up on her Palisades doorstep: “Raiding a woman and toddlers with SWAT in full gear and guns is absurd.”
Improved security is said to be a feature in the El Medio rebuild.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
