Bob Hope died in 2003. His wife of 69 years, Dolores, died eight years later. The estate left behind a house in Palm Springs, and one in Los Angeles. It's expensive to maintain, so the Hopes' daughter Linda has decided to sell it in order to raise funds for the Hopes' charitable foundation.
Not so fast. Apparently work on the property involves demolishing some outbuildings, and the Hopes must have ticked off somebody, because a Los Angeles City Councillor has taken unto himself the attempt to make the house a historic landmark. Really. Note that because he's a politician, he doesn't have to pay anybody one red cent to try to do this; it's all the taxpayers' money going to any efforts he'd make. And if the city actually bought the property, not that they're going to, it would be the taxpayers paying for this politician's vanity.
In the article where I first read it, not at the Hollywood Reporter, somebody made this trenchantly cynical (and factually incorrect) comment:
Most likely, Hope's single level ranch home would have part of it renovated. That renovation is going to include a second story addition. That addition is going to block a view on the neighbors property. I'll put money on it that the neighbor contacted Ryu [the councillor trying to make the historic landmark designation] about designating the home as a landmark, thus preventing this type of renovation.
In fact, the pictures at the Hollywood Reporter show the house already has two stories. But you can't help but think that somewhere along the way, Linda ticked off somebody, and they've decided to try to extract their pound of flesh.
So far the councillor has been rebuffed. But I doubt we've heard the last of this story.
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