Story Created:
Feb 24, 2010 at 7:22 PM PST
Story Updated:
Feb 24, 2010 at 8:46 PM PST
INGLEWOOD — The City Council has called for its business licensing division to tighten up its procedures after the council unanimously overturned a Planning Commission’s denial of a permit to a payday loan enterprise that has been operating for 10 years.
The move came Tuesday night at a continued public hearing into an appeal by Cash N! Run, owned by Robert Altieri and located at 420 Manchester Blvd., following the commission’s denial of a special use permit on Oct. 7, 2009.
According to the city Finance Department, there are 16 such businesses in Inglewood that require a special use permit to operate.
The commission’s ruling followed a December 2008 citation by the Code Enforcement Division charging that Altieri was conducting business without a permit.
Following its deliberations, the Planning Commission denied the permit based on the finding that the over-concentration of check cashing/payday advance facilities can have a negative impact on neighboring businesses and property values.
The owner appealed the decision, stating that he was unaware until cited by code enforcement that he was required to have a special use permit to operate.
At issue was the original business license form that was submitted in 2000.
During a Jan. 12 public hearing, the council asked planning staff to provide a copy of the original license, but subsequently reported through the Business License Division that the document could not be located.
But the planning staff was able to obtain a copy of the original license from the applicant that specified “consumer loan advances” as the approved use.
“They provided a document we can’t challenge,” said Councilman Danny Tabor in voting to overturn the Planning Commission. “We need to look at the controls over our business licensing division.”
Councilman Eloy Morales agreed. “It’s about the integrity of our process here,” he said.
“The business has been there for 10 years and the original license said consumer loan. We have to be reasonable here. [The evidence] gives us very little choice.”
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