La Verne : Lawsuit Settlement Reached
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A settlement agreed to by the Redevelopment Agency apparently ends a lawsuit by Louis Brutocao, owner of the Foothill Boulevard site of the former Topper’s Restaurant, both sides said.
Brutocao sued 2 1/2 years ago when the city revoked Topper’s conditional-use permit, forcing Brutocao’s tenant out of business. City Manager Martin Lomeli said Brutocao agreed to drop the suit after the Redevelopment Agency agreed to loan him up to $40,000, interest-free, to demolish the old restaurant.
The amount would be repaid when the property is sold, when a new building is built on the land or after 10 years, whichever comes first, Lomeli said.
![LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 - Bertha Gomez, right, and her son David Gomez, the new owners of La Golondrina Cafe, stand inside the famed restaurant that remains closed on Olvera Street in El Pueblo de Los Angeles on September 28, 2023. The Gomez' have not been able to open the business because of a damaged sewer line into the building. La Golondrina Cafe]has been closed since March 2020. They are locked in a lawsuit with the city, because they claim that the city is responsible for the repairs, while the city argues otherwise. The Board of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument Authority Commission on Thursday oversaw a hearing and decided that the Gomez' should be evicted from the location, nearly 95 years after the business first opened. The previous owners were the original family who started the business and it's considered one of the oldest Mexican restaurants in the city. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fc1b23c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6699x4480+10+0/resize/1024x685!/format/webp/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F44%2F88%2Fe2b72d1641ec8c2de63a02da4ef8%2F1353501-me-0928-la-golondrina-cafe-gem-001.jpg)
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