Cemetery

Fans wishing to mark the first anniversary of Michael Jackson's death will be able to do so at his final resting place in Glendale, cemetery officials said. A spokesman for Forest Lawn Memorial Park on Tuesday said the plan, expected to be released this week, would set guidelines and restrictions for fans hoping to pay homage to the pop icon. Access to the Great Mausoleum, where Jackson is interred, would remain prohibited. The plan was being drafted in conjunction with the Jackson family and an independent fan-based entity, said William Martin, the cemetery's communications director.

GLENDALE — The sudden death on Saturday of Grand View Memorial Park owner Marsha Lee Howard has deepened the quagmire of controversy surrounding the cemetery, but will not affect people's ability to make their regular Sunday visits. "Nothing's going to change with the visitations," Senior Assistant City Atty. Mike Grant said. The cause of Howard's death has been the topic of much speculation, but has not been confirmed. An autopsy is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks, officials at the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said.

Janine Marnien LA CRESCENTA -- The Crescenta Valley Town Council has drafted a letter to be read at the June 4 public hearing on whether a separate environmental report is needed for a proposed cemetery by Gregg Development. The letter states that the council opposes "proceeding directly to a determination on the proposal for a cemetery at Oakmont View V." The council feels that an additional EIR is needed before it can make a determination on the proposed cemetery, the letter states.

Glendale resident Marsha Lee Howard pleaded not guilty after surrendering to face charges ofhealth and safety code violations while she operated Grand View Memorial Park. The ancient cemetery was suspended by the state after an inspection found cremated remains that reportedly dated back some 60 years stored in a closet. Howard is charged with six felonies and three misdemeanors. The charges relate to the commingling of cremated remains, deposit or removal of remains outside the cemetery, and collection or use of special endowment funds.

GLENDALE — Grand View Memorial Park was opened to the public Sunday, the second such opening since the city-funded public visitations that had provided limited public access were halted in June after fire officials said the cemetery represented a safety hazard. The grounds were first shuttered in June 2006, when the owner, Moshe Goldsman, ceased the cemetery’s operations, citing financial difficulties. The previous fall, the state had prohibited the cemetery from conducting any new business after state investigators discovered that about 4,000 bodies there had not been properly buried.

GLENDALE — Visitors will be allowed to access their loved ones’ graves during 14 more openings at Grand View Memorial Park next year. Civil Court Judge Anthony Mohr ordered the opening of the cemetery Jan. 11 and 25; Feb. 8 and 22; March 8 and 22; April 10, 12, 24 and 26; May 10 and 24 ; and June 14, 21 and 28, according to a Dec. 8 court report. The cemetery will be open from noon to 4 p.m. during the openings. “It’s very important to them,” said attorney Mary Der-Parseghian, who represents families suing the cemetery.

GLENDALE — Those with loved ones buried at Grand View Memorial Park will be able to visit graves through the holiday season after a judge ordered the cemetery open for another nine days. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge John Wiley ordered the cemetery be opened Nov. 1, 15 and Thanksgiving Day; Dec. 13 and Christmas Day; New Year’s Day and Jan. 6, the day many Armenians celebrate Christmas; Jan. 10 and 24. Visitations are from noon to 4 p.m. Attorney Paul Ayers, who represents a group of plaintiffs suing the former operators of the cemetery for mismanagement, suggested that if friends and family wanted to keep the cemetery open, they should volunteer to help at openings and obey all court-ordered rules.

NORTHWEST GLENDALE ? Rumors that Grand View Memorial Park will be sold to developers in order to build residential and commercial property at the site are just that, according to state officials. "There are people indeed interested in buying it, but they are cemetery people," said Kevin Flanagan, a spokesman for the California Department of Consumer Affairs. The department has received several calls from consumers concerned over talk that the cemetery will be sold to developers, and that those interred there would have to be moved, Flanagan said.

CITY HALL — The growing burden on the city to maintain Grand View Memorial Park while it sits shuttered during a long-running legal battle drew a virtual war cry from the City Council on Tuesday night when it tabled a proposed $400,000 city maintenance plan in favor of moving to invoke public nuisance orders against the property. Faced with the realization that the maintenance plan might be the beginning of a very expensive endeavor, the City Council unanimously approved a motion directing the City Attorney’s Office to pursue public nuisance abatement orders against the cemetery.

A calm, cold breeze runs throughout the marble-encased, maze-like corridors of Forest Lawn's Great Mausoleum, where the who's who of Hollywood have come to permanently rest. But that changes once you reach its deepest and oldest cobweb-covered crevice after a number of stairs and enough security cameras to make you feel like you're being monitored by the Secret Service. The air ricocheting lightly off banisters just moments ago becomes heavy and stagnant. The chills, absent during the descent, come a little too eagerly.

Burbank resident Lisa Burks grew up in White Lake, Mich. with such a fascination for cemeteries that as a girl, if she remained cavity-free after a dentist visit, her mother rewarded her with trips to the neighborhood graveyard. What interested her most were the tombstones and what they had to say, Burks said. That inquisitive nature continues to serve her well as she writes a book on the history of Glendale's Grand View Memorial Park, a cemetery whose well-being she has a stake in. Burks regards Grand View as a gem among final resting places, although it's in the shadow of other Los Angeles cemeteries.

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — Owners of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery say they are interested in buying the troubled Grand View Memorial Park, which fell into scandal in 2005 when investigators discovered that 4,000 people had been improperly buried. The sale of Grand View — which has had limited public access for years after it fell into a state of disrepair — is required under the terms of the $3.8-million settlement for the class-action lawsuit against the cemetery’s operators.

LOS ANGELES — A 39-year-old man convicted of killing his girlfriend and trying to kill four Glendale police officers during a shootout at Forest Lawn Memorial Park was sentenced Thursday to serve 227 years to life in prison. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge John Fisher denied issuing probation to Rene Munoz, who was convicted in May of killing Kelly Collins-McCowen, 37, outside a Los Angeles bowling alley on April 3, 2008. He also refused his attorney's motion for a new trial.

GLENDALE — Lenore Devlin traveled more than 60 miles Sunday to visit the grave of a former student at Grand View Memorial Park. "There are certain students in your life who just touch your heart," the Los Angeles Unified teacher said as she arranged flowers for the grave of Ara Azaryan, who died in 2004. He was 23 at the time, she said. Devlin was one of close to 100 people on Sunday who visited Grand View Memorial Park, which has had limited public access for years after it fell into a state of disrepair.

GLENDALE — Fans expecting to visit Michael Jackson's grave Friday at Forest Lawn Memorial Park to honor the first anniversary of his death will be allowed to enter the cemetery, but they shouldn't expect to get a close look at his tomb, officials said. Glendale police and Forest Lawn officials met Wednesday to finalize plans for the thousands of fans expected to visit Jackson's gravesite Friday. International media outlets, including agencies from Japan and Israel, have also inquired about showing up, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

Fans wishing to mark the first anniversary of Michael Jackson's death will be able to do so at his final resting place in Glendale, cemetery officials said. A spokesman for Forest Lawn Memorial Park on Tuesday said the plan, expected to be released this week, would set guidelines and restrictions for fans hoping to pay homage to the pop icon. Access to the Great Mausoleum, where Jackson is interred, would remain prohibited. The plan was being drafted in conjunction with the Jackson family and an independent fan-based entity, said William Martin, the cemetery's communications director.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Anthony Mohr this week approved a series of additional public visitation dates for Grand View Memorial Park, which has had limited public access for years. In March, Mohr finalized a $3.8-million settlement in the long-standing class-action lawsuit against the cemetery, which had fallen into disrepair and prompted officials to curtail public access in response to fears that the property wasn’t safe for visitors. The judgment included $500,000 for restoration of the cemetery and $1.1 million in attorney compensation, with the rest set to be divided among the estimated 2,500 to 3,000 claimants, who have direct relatives buried in the cemetery.

LOS ANGELES — A jury found a 39-year-old man guilty Tuesday of killing his wife in a Los Angeles bowling alley before attempting to kill several Glendale police officers during a two-hour standoff at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. A motionless Rene Munoz gazed straight ahead as a court clerk read off guilty verdicts for 14 counts related to the April 3, 2008, murder of Kelly Munoz, and the attempted murder and assault with a firearm charges against an officer. “It’s a victory for the family,” Glendale Police Det. Keith Soboleski said.

It took only 46 years for curiosity to get the better of me. I?ve lived my entire life here, and I?d be hard pressed to remember a day when I didn?t look south and see the big white building with the enormous crucifix sitting on the hill. I see it almost every day as I wind down the freeway on my daily commute. And even though it has literally been a part of my everyday landscape, I had no idea what it was. Knowing it sat atop Forest Lawn in Glendale, I figured it was one of the mausoleums.