Who's judging homes in Palos Verdes Estates? Homeowners frustrated with the Art Jury

PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif. (KABC) -- The homes in Palos Verdes Estates are known for their beautiful views, magnificent buildings and manicured landscaping. But homeowners say trying to change anything on the outside of those homes means being judged by the Art Jury.

"They will regulate things that are not visible to any neighbor, anybody, and they can't see," homeowner Jim Sheriff said. "And they say, it doesn't matter whether you can see it or not. If it's on the outside of your house, we're going to control it."

The Palos Verdes Art Jury is older than the city itself, dating back to the 1920s.

In an email to Eyewitness News, the city manager said private developers created "restrictive land-use covenants and architectural standards intended to preserve the area's natural landscape and cohesive community character."

In other words, keeping Palos Verdes Estates looking like Palos Verdes Estates.

But some residents say the system has become too restrictive, and polices almost everything.

"It just creates an untenable situation for homeowners," Sheriff said. "Lack of transparency. Art Jury makes decisions without having public involvement. They can't actually go to the meetings. They're making decisions that cost you thousands and thousands of dollars, and you can't be there to represent yourself, and that's unacceptable."

Sheriff said he spent thousands complying with requirements, including replacing his gutters.

The process begins at the office where homeowners submit plans for approval. A sign on the door lists office hours: one hour a day, from 9 to 10 a.m., with all other times by appointment. The office is closed on Tuesdays.

Residents say there is often a line of homeowners waiting with blueprints in hand.

While many people were waiting outside the office, few were willing to speak publicly, saying they feared retaliation.

One contractor, who didn't want to be identified, said: "It's a process that I have no idea, to be honest, what is happening," he said. "But we just have to do this... this is the way that we have to do it and we have to comply to keep on working here on the hill."

Inside the office, a staff member said they worked for the city, not the Art Jury. The door closed right at 9:59 a.m.

The Art Jury declined an interview but sent a written statement saying it "pursues its mission of maintaining architectural integrity, building aesthetics, and property values" in Palos Verdes Estates and Miraleste. It added that, as a private organization, it does not respond to media requests.

The city of Palos Verdes Estates has its own planning department, separate from the Art Jury. Homeowners must obtain approvals from both. Failing to follow Art Jury rules can result in steep fines.

One homeowner said he is facing more than $10,000 in penalties for items installed before he bought his home two years ago.

"It's hard to talk to anybody," he said. "...Every time we're there, our appointment's backed up because people are complaining."

Some residents believe the system is financially driven.

"It's a homeowners association that they get their funding through the fees that they charge," Sheriff said. Those fees are collected for submitting and approving documents.

The Art Jury has been involved in several lawsuits over the years, including disputes over landscaping and, more recently, solar panel installations. Courts have generally ruled that homeowners must comply with its requirements.

Residents say the system has remained largely unchanged for nearly a century.

"The world has changed significantly in a hundred years... maybe we need to change things from a hundred years ago," one homeowner said.