Janken's Hijinks Hijacked HB City Council

Hermosa Beach resident Jack Janken, JJ to those forced to live nearby, has a record of never-ending complaints. Whether from dust or bits of paint, Janken makes war on anyone trying to building anything near his home. Residents in the vicinity of his home on the Strand often share their upset with a resident who puts the "bore" in neighbor.

Following one legal injunction after another, judges have ruled against Janken. He has exhausted legal recourses to stop anyone from building anything in and around his property. He has even invoked health concerns, which have also been rebuffed even following inconclusive sample testing from local health clinics. While claiming to care about the health and welfare of an elderly neighbor because of the potential health effects from construction, other residents along the Strand will contend that Janken had bawled out the same old lady for allegedly trespassing on his property:

Jack Janken has a long history of harassing his neighbors, including threatening his 90-year old neighbor and following her into her own garage shouting the vilest obscenities. Currently, he has been using his leaf blower on Sundays to move dirt from the alley onto the property of neighbors who support the Ditloves.

Despite Janken's unreasonable demands for a "no-construction zone" around his home, city leaders spent months, man-hours and money, followed by an attempt to rewrite city ordinances, to satisfy the irascible JJ.

To investigate this matter, this author issued a Public Records Act request to the Hermosa Beach City Clerk's office one month ago, for all documents in connection with Jack Janken and city leaders from October 2011 to the present. Despite the breadth of the request, city officials informed me that such a request should have been taken care of by now. Still, those documents have not been forthcoming.

According to those files, three city leaders in Hermosa Beach: Jeff Duclos, Howard Fishman, and Peter Tucker, spent months responding to heated political pressure from Janken, at the expense of the daily demands of running a city facing massive pension obligations and in need of better sewer systems and stronger streets.

From records distributed among contractors, city leaders, and three city councilmembers –Duclos, Fishman, and Tucker – one can only wonder why those councilmembers commissioned to represent all Hermosa Beach residents would cater (or pander) to the unending complaints of one resident, who hijacked them for months.

Records detail long tirades of Janken’s hijinks, peppered with easy upsets regarding "fugitive dust" and (practically non-existent) tar spots along his property.

Emails from April 2011 indicate that Janken’s request to "red tag" construction near his home followed from a property dispute, and not just concerns about the health and safety of residents.

The contractors, Tamaro Inc., exercised due diligence to protect everyone's property. County officials stepped into the fray, only to find Janken’s frayed complaints unserious.

Three times Janken demanded that the city attorney and manager enforce a work stop to construction. Three times those city leaders informed Janken that there was nothing to warrant a work stoppage.

Janken's frequent reference to one key statute (HBMC 3307), complete with underscores, bold letters, and hyper-capitals, all suggest an obsession with stopping any construction at any cost.

Local contractors referred to the same Hermosa Beach Municipal codes, which permitted them to continue working, despite any perceived damage.

I looked at the public photos of "damage" around Janken’s property. There was nothing to justify Janken's barrage of emails and bold underscoring. After thirty-seven years of living in Hermosa Beach, in close proximity to Strand-loving residents, Janken should have learned to accept a little dirt here and there as a part of the cost of living in the city.

Fast-forward to October 2011, and Janken bawled out the three councilmembers Duclos, Fishman, and Tucker during an open council meeting for tabling an amendment to the legislation which Janken had pressed for rewrite.

One year later, the same three council members rejected a motion of censure for the now-disgraced Hermosa Beach Treasurer.

The next year, when the same council members were questioning Mayor Bobko’s inappropriate remarks about the next Hermosa Beach police chief, Council member Mike DiVirgilio referenced the hours and hours spent on non-essential matters pertaining to private residents, like Jack Janken.

After reviewing public records passed among the City Attorney, City Manager, and the three city councilmembers Jeff Duclos, Howard Fishman, and Peter Tucker, one has to wonder why residents have not assaulted the public forum about the wasted "hours and hours" spent placating the implacable Jack Janken.

City Councils belong to all residents, and their duty does not entail complying with the whims and whimsies of one loud neighbor. Hermosa Beach residents should no longer tolerate council members who cater to local bullies at the expense of law-abiding citizens and code-enforcing contractors.

Hermosa Beach residents: please remember the time and efforts wasted by Duclos and Tucker in Jack Janken’s hijack-hijinks and elect to your city council men and women who care about the short-term and long-term interests of your city.