EMBATTLED CEMETERY COULD OPEN LONGER REPORT TO COURT OUTLINES GRAND VIEW'S FINANCES AS LAWSUITS MOVE FORWARD.

Byline: EUGENE TONG Staff Writer

GLENDALE -- A plan being considered by plaintiffs and the embattled owners of Grand View Memorial Park may lead to extended operating hours and limited maintenance at the troubled cemetery, attorneys close to the case said.

A status report, slated for submission to Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, outlines proposals to finance upkeep of the 25-acre cemetery while criminal and civil cases against the owners are heard, said attorney Paul Ayers, who represents more than two dozen plaintiffs.

``A cemetery in distress is truly a dangerous thing because of the emotions involved in it,'' he said. ``People are constantly concerned. They're constantly upset. This is something that's close to them. It's like desecrating a church.''

A status conference in the civil case is scheduled Wednesday.

The 121-year-old cemetery at 1341 Glenwood Road has been in disrepair since state investigators chained its iron gates in June, after owner Marsha Lee Howard was investigated for alleged financial mismanagement and mishandling of remains.

The city of of Glendale brokered a deal in late August to reopen the cemetery between noon and 4 p.m. Sundays, but Judge Anthony Mohr later ordered the parties in the civil case to extend the operating hours.

``That's what our aim is,'' Ayers said. ``Nobody's talking about seven days a week. We're talking about eight-hour days and more days than one.''

Kevin Alexander, Howard's attorney in the civil case, did not return calls seeking comment. Tina Mangarpan, an attorney for cemetery co-owner and operator Moshe Goldsman, declined to comment Friday.

But Mike Arias, an attorney representing lead plaintiff Mary Louise Largey, was optimistic about the effort.

``Both the state, the defendants, the plaintiffs and the court are all working diligently to try to come up with a plan for the cemetery to open more than the current hours on Sunday,'' he said. ``The effort being taken by all the parties bodes well for that happening.''

Key to the plan is stabilizing the cemetery's finances, Ayers said. The state investigation had suspended business at Grand View, so it couldn't cover the $40,000 to $50,000 a month required to pay for mortgage, insurance, utility bills and employee salaries. Ayers said the cemetery could generate some income. Goldsman was negotiating a contract with the Los Angeles County coroner to cremate remains earlier this year.

``We're trying to find out what the status of that is,'' he said. ``That would create income.'' Also, its endowment care fund is nearly $1 million, and still generates about $3,000 a month in interest, Ayers said.

Although criminal charges were dropped, Howard still faces an administrative hearing in which she could lose her business license.

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com

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