Lessons From Fantasy Island Feud

Finally, the strange case of Fantasy Island appears to be headed in the right direction. At a hearing last week, a judge suggested that he would lay down strict rules--and make sure they are enforced--in an attempt to regulate the park, a popular spot for weddings and other celebrations in the Santa Monica Mountains. Neighbors of Fantasy Island complained that the park is too loud and clogs local roads, leading to a legal fight that cost the operators their business license and thousands of dollars in lawyers’ fees.

Judge Lawrence J. Mira set Los Angeles County officials to work on guidelines that would allow Avi Datner to keep his Triunfo Canyon park open so long as he abides by the rules, which might include established operating hours and the hiring of guards to keep guests quiet as they leave. At the same time, he urged neighbors not to take the law into their own hands. Past spates between Datner and his neighbors have left a trail of bad blood so deep that one neighbor fed up with noise started jack-hammering rocks during a Fantasy Island event.

Mira’s actions are a welcome dose of reason in a dispute that has grown to absurd proportions. When both sides return to Mira’s courtroom later this week, The Times urges them to agree on rules that allow Fantasy Island to operate without unreasonably burdening its neighbors. If Datner breaks the rules, he could land in jail. That kind of tough approach should deal effectively with the case of Fantasy Island, but county officials still have more to do.

Fantasy Island became a problem because it is built on land zoned more than 70 years ago, when the mountains were home to weekend cottages and not much more. It’s hard enough for lawyers and planners to interpret and enforce zoning laws adopted last week, let alone codes more than seven decades old. With Datner’s case on the right track, county officials must turn their attention toward updating the laws so another Fantasy Island does not pop up somewhere in another canyon.