No wrecking ball aimed at courthouse

Regarding the Glendale News-Press article published on Feb. 10 titled “Wrecking ball aimed at courthouse,” the headline and tone of the article about the future of the Glendale courthouse were misleading and unnecessarily alarming.

For years, the city of Glendale has been working diligently with several state and county agencies toward the following important goals: 1) Keep the courthouse in its current location, adjacent to City Hall and the Glendale Police Department; 2) Maintain the historic use of the existing building on the site (i.e., prevent the abandonment of the courthouse building by the state in favor of a new site); 3) Meaningfully incorporate the 1959 courthouse building into the newly expanded courthouse so that the significant architectural characteristics of the building are highlighted and built into the project, while the interior of the courthouse is upgraded to current standards.

Many find the existing building to be one of the best examples of mid-20th-century civic design in the region and it is identified as potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and the Glendale Register of Historic Resources.

Understanding that the building must be altered to modern standards, we are seeking a solution to expand the courthouse while keeping the main part of the building, which faces City Hall, largely intact at the exterior. Officials have also identified key interior details and features that must be preserved.

The News-Press article lacked information on the tremendous amount of collaboration that has been expended to protect the historic use and architecturally significant features of the courthouse on the existing site. Suggesting that the wrecking ball is coming could not be further from the truth.

So far, this particular case has unusually exemplified cooperation among several governmental agencies to meet preservation goals. I hope future News-Press articles will pay more attention to how Glendale’s government is working hard to further the community’s convictions, such as their commitment to historic preservation.

Hassan Haghani

Glendale

Editor’s note: Haghani is director of Community Development for Glendale.

How Porto’s deals with excess inventory

In the story about Betty Porto’s talk to members of SCORE L.A. about business advice (“Porto opens up on success,” Feb. 23), one of the questions was about how she deals with excess inventory.

As a recipient of her generosity, I can answer that: she donates it to nonprofits. Porto’s Bakery has been kind enough to assist Walk Now for Autism Speaks by supplying food for our volunteers for several years.

It’s obvious that helping others is one of their core values, and we appreciate the support they have provided our organization.

Phillip Hain

Los Angeles

Editor’s note: Hain is executive director, Los Angeles chapter, Autism Speaks