Ordinance No. 817
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ORDINANCE NO. 817
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF VERNON REGULATING THE ERECTION,
CONSTRUCTION, ENLARGEMENT, ALTERATION, REPAIR, MOVING, REMOVAL,
CONVERSION, DEMOLITION, OCCUPANCY, EQUIPMENT, USE, HEIGHT, AREA,
AND MAINTENANCEOF BUILDINGS OR STRUCTURES IN THE CITY OF VERNON,
STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND PROVIDING FOR THE ISSUANCE OF PERMITS
AND COLLECTION OF FEES THEREF'OR; DECLARING AND ESTABLISHING
FIRE DISTRICTS; PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR THE VIOLATION THEREOF
AND ADOPTING, IN PART, THE UNIFORM BUILDING CODE, 1970 EDITION,
PHOMULGATED BY THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF BUILDING OFFICIALS,
AND REPEALING ALL ORDINANCES AND PARTS OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT
THEREWITH.
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Vernon finds
it necessary to establish building and occupancy regulations to
promote the public health, safety and general welfare of the
Cit~ of Vernon; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Vernon desires
to adopt in part the Uniform Building Code, Volume I, 1970 edition
as promulgated by the International Conference of Building
Officials; and
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Vernon further
desires to add to said Uniform Building Code certain changes, and
to delete from said Code certain matters incorporated therein,
all to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare of
the City of Vernon;
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Vernon
does ordain as follows:
SECTION 1: The Uniform Building Code, Volume I, 1970
24 edition, copyrighted 1970 by the International Conference of
25 Building Officials, 50 South Los Robles, Pasadena, California,
26 except as may be amended in this Ordinance, is hereby adopted as
27 the Building Code of the City of VernOD.
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SECTION 2: Said Uniform Building Code, Volume I, 1970
29 edition, as referred to in Section 1 above, is hereby amended as
30 follows:
31 Section 101 is amended to read as follows:
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"Section 101. This Ordinance shall be known as the
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.~ 'Building Code' and may be cited as such, and will be
2 referred to herein as this Code. Whenever reference is
3 made to the Building Code or this Code or said Code, such
4 references shall mean the Uniform Building Code, Volume I,
5 1970 Edition, as amended by Ordinance or Ordinances of the
6 Ci ty of Vernon."
7 Section 103 is amended by inserting the following at the
8 end of said Section:
9 "EXCEPTIONS. The provisions of this Code shall not
10 apply to any of the following;
11 tt(a) Masonry or concrete fences not over six feet
12 high, and other fences not over twelve feet high;
13 ff (b) Oil derricks;
14 "(c) Steel tanks not in a building supported on the
15 surface of the ground or on a solid foundation not more than
16 two feet above grade when the height does not exceed two
17 times the diameter and not containing any flammable or
18 hazardous liquids;
19 "(d) Gantry cranes and similar mechanical equipment;
20 "(e) Retaining walls which are not over five feet
21 in height, measured from the bottom of the footing to the
22 top of the wall, unless supporting a surcharge or impounding
23 flammable liquids;
24 "(f) Platforms, walks, or driveways not more than
25 30 inches above adjacent ground or floor, and not over any
26 basement or story below;
27 "(g) Bridges not involving buildings;
28 " (h) Minor works specifically ex~ttrE!d by the Building
29 Official when, in his discretion, the work is of a negligible
30 hazard.
31 "This Code shall not be interpreted or deemed to
32 conflict with, amend, or qualify, any other Ordinance or
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.1 Ordinances or Code of the City of Vernon, excepting as
2 said Ordinance or Ordinances may be amended or repealed by
3 the adoption of these amendments to the Uniform Building
4 Code, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing
5 shall not be deemed to affect or impair the provisions
6 of any Ordinances or Codes of the City of Vernon relative to
7 business licenses, zoning, beautification, fire prevention,
8 or health and sanitation."
9 Section 106 is amended by striking the word tlshall" in
10 the first line of paragraph 3 of said Code section, and inserting
11 the word "may" in place of "shall".
12 Section 107 is amended by striking the word "shall"
13 in line 3 of paragraph 2 of said section, and inserting therein
14 the word "may", and add, following the word ftprocedure" in line
15 4 of said paragraph 2 of Section 107, the following: ", or the
16 acceptability of said test procedure."
17 Section 204 is deleted in its entirety, including the
18 heading "Board of Appeals", and in lieu of said section and
19 heading there is inserted the following:
20 ItALLOWANCE OF VARIANCE OR EXCEPTION FROM REQUIREMENTS
01" CODE.
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"Section 204. Whenever the Building Official shall
find upon the basis of reliable evidence, information or
opinion placed before him that the public health, safety,
and welfare will not be adversely affected or, in the
alternative, will be well served thereby, he may, in his
discretion and subject to such conditions and limitations
as he may see fit to impose, relieve an applicant for a
building permit from one or more of the requirements of
this code, and,without limiting the foregoing, may
authorize the substitution of materials, types of con-
struction and safety equipment or devices. All requests
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seeking the allowance of a variance or exception from the
requirements of this Code shall be presented to the Chief
of the Fire Department for recommendations and to the
Director of Public Works for his recommendations regarding
frontage requirements, if the same be applicable, for
allowance or rejection and for the terms, conditions, and
limitations, if any, which said Fire Chief and said Director
of Public Works recommend be imposed upon such permit, if
granted. The Building Official shall, prior to his making
his findings, solicit and include therein the recommenda-
tions of other departments of the City, which may be
affected by the request for a variance or exception from
the requirements of this Code.
"Any applicant for a building permit seeking a variance
or exception from the requirements of this Code, which
variance or exception has been denied or granted subject to
conditions or limitations, pursuant to the foregoing
provisions of this Section 204, may request a hearing
before the City Council for the purpose of obtaining a new
or different decision with respect to said request for a
variance or exception. Such request for a hearing must state
the following:
HI. The name and mailing address of the applicant for
the purposes of the requested hearing.
"2. A method of identification of the application or
applications involved, and the previous decision of the
Building Official or of the City Council, if any, with
respect to each such application.
"3. The specific ruling which the applicant requests
be made by the City Council with respect to each such
application.
"4. A brief summary in non-technical language of the
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.1 points or contentions to be made by applicant at the
2 requested hearing, which summary shall be sufficient to
3 inform any interested person who may wish to meet or
4 refute applicant's presentation at the pearing.
5 "The City Council shall set a time and place for a
6 hearing on such application, provided it shall comply with
7 the foregoing requirements, which hearing shall take place
8 not more than thirty days after receipt of the applicant's
9 request. In the event that the request for hearing does
10 not comply with the foregoing requirements, no hearing
11 shall be set and the City Clerk shall advise the applicant
12 of the City Council's findings and that no hearing shall be
13 set until such requirements are met. Such latter notice
14 shall be mailed by the City Clerk to the applicant by
15 United States mail, postage prepaid, to the address shown
16 on the request for hearing, and if no adequate address is
17 shown thereon, the City Clerk shall make a reasonable
18 effort to locate an address for the applicant, to which the
19 notice may be mailed and, failing to find such address, no no
20 tice shall be sent."
21 Section 302(a) is amended by inserting the following at
22 the end of said section:
23 "The permit granted as provided for above is an
24 application for inspection, the issuance of which is not
25 an approval or an authorization of the work specified in
26 said permit. The permit does not authorize or permit, nor
27 shall it be construed as authorizing or permitting, the
28 violation or failure to comply with any applicable law.
29 Neither the City of Vernon nor any department, officer, or
30 employee thereof may make any warranty nor shall be responsi-
31 ble for the performance or results of any work described in
32 the application or permit, or the condition of the property
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.1 or soil upon which the work is performed. If
2 The first and second paragraphs of Section 303(a) are
3 deleted and the following substituted therefor:
4 "A fee for each building permit shall be paid as set
5 forth by resolution of the City Council."
6 Section 303(b) is deleted in its entirety.
7 Section 304(d) is amended by adding the following para-
8 graph at the end of said subsection:
9 "Whenever any work on which inspections are required, as
10 specified in this subsection, is covered or concealed by
11 additional work without first having been inspected, the
12 building official may req~e that such work be exposed for
13 examination. The work of exposing and recovering shall not
14 entail expense to the City of Vernon."
15 Section 306(a) is amended by adding to said subsection
16 the following:
17 "Where a special inspection is required to determine
18 compliance with the provisions of this Code for a Certificate
19 of Occupancy, an inspection fee shall be paid as set forth
20 by resolution of the City Council. tf
21 Section 306(c) is amended to add to said sub-paragraph,
22 following the word ltclassified" on line 4 of Item 5 of said sub-
23 paragraph, the following: tf and for the specific use for which
24 the permit was applied for. II
25 Section 506(c) is amended by adding the following
26 at the end of said Section:
27 l'EXCEPTION. If the building is provided with an
28 approved automatic fire extinguishing system throughout, the
29 area specified in Section 505 may be increased to four times
30 the basic value for a one story type II, III, III-HT, III-N,
31 and IV building of Group F-2 and G occupancies, where fire
32 hazard and occupant load is relatively low, subject to the
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.1 concurrence and approval of the Fire Department. II
2 Section 1105 is amended by inserting the following in
3 the third line of the third paragraph of said section, between
4 the words "whenH and It the" : "alcoholic beverages are dispensed
5 or when. II
6 Section l60l(a) is amended to read as follows:
7 "FIRE ZONES DEFINED. For the purpose of this Code, the
8 entire City of Vernon is hereby declared to be and is hereby
9 established as a Fire District, and said Fire District shall
10 be known and designated as Fire Zones Two and Three. Fire
11 Zone Three shall consist of that portion of the City which
12 has been zoned as an R zone or single family residence zone,
13 pursuant to the provisions of Ordinance No. 752 of the City
14 of Vernon, and shall further consist of any area designated
15 as R Zone or single family residence zone in any Zoning
16 Ordinance of the City of Vernon which may be enacted in the
17 future. All other portions of the City shall be known and
18 designated as }'ire Zone Two."
19 Section 1602 is deleted in its entirety.
20 Section l603(c) is deleted in its entirety.
21 Section 1604 is amended by inserting the following
22 paragraph at the end of said section:
23 "Notwithstanding any of the provisions contained in
24 this Code, wood shingles and wood shakes as a roofing
25 material are not allowed or permitted in the City of Vernon."
26 Section 1704 is amended by deleting the entire section
27 and, in lieu thereof, inserting the following:
28 "Roof covering of all buildings in any Fire Zone shall
29 be fire-retardant, and notwithstanding any of the provisions
30 contained in this Code, wood shingles and wood shakes as a
31 roofing material are not allowed or permitted in the City of
32 Vernon.
"Skylights shall be constructed as required in Chapter
7.
.1 34.
2 "Penthouses shall be constructed as required in Chapter
3 36.
4 "For use of plastics in roof see Chapter 52.
5 "For Attics: Access and Area, see Section 3205.
6 "For Roof Drainage, see Section 3207.tf
7 Section 2313 is amended by adding the following para-
8 graph at the end of said section:
9 "Concrete or masonry columns and bearing walls shall be
10 anchored to their supporting footings so as to provide
11 resistance to all conditions of tension and shear at the
12 connection, including the net tensile components of any
13 bending moment which may result from restraint at the
14 connection. The connection shall be designed for a minimum
15 force in both tension and shear equal to 10% of the vertical
16 gravity load on the column or wall. The anchorage shall
17 be accomplished by the extension of the vertical reinforcing
18 steel into the footing, by dowels or by equivalent mechani-
19 cal anchorage."
20 Section 2622(e) is deleted in its entirety.
21 Section 2624 is amended by adding a new subsection (h)
22 to read as follows:
23 "stresses. Except as otherwise provided in this
24 Section, allowable stresses shall comply with this Chapter.
25 The allowable unit shear stresses on horizontal joints be-
26 tween precas~ and poured elements shall not exceed that
27 specified in Section 2625(f) 2. On vertical joints or
28 where shear is transferred through a mortar bed, the shear
29 stress shall not exceed that set forth in Table No. 24-B,
30 for unit masonry laid up in cement mortar unless shear keys
31 are provided. Where reinforcing bars are used as ties, the
32 shear value for bolts set forth in Table No. 26- I may be used fI
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Section 3206(a) 1 is amended by substituting tt25,000"
for It 50 , OOOtt .
Section 3206 (f) 4 is amended by substituting "25,000"
for " 50 , OOOtt .
Section 380l (1::>) is amended to read as follows:
ttAll fire extinguishing systems, including automatic
sprinklers, wet and dry standpipes, automatic chemical
extinguishers, basement pipe inlets and the appurtenances
thereto shall meet the approval of the Fire Department as
to installation and location and shall be subject to such
periodic tests as it may require."
Section 440l is amended by adding thereto the following:
"Nothing contained herein shall be construed to grant
permission to use the public street, right-of-way or public
property, either permanently or temporarily, without first
obtaining a permit from the Director of Public Works."
Section 4404 of said Code is hereby deleted in its
entirety.
Section 4407(a) is amended by adding at the end of
said subsection, following the word "Chapter", the following:
"The Building Official and Director of Public Works acting
concurrently may modify these requirements where the volume
of pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic is light, and suitable
precautions for the safety of pedestrians are maintained.
The Building Official and Director of Public Works may
condition the modification granted by requiring the owner
and/or contractor to hold the City of Vernon harmless from
any and all personal injury or property damage which may be
suffered on account of such modification."
Section 4501 is amended by deleting from the second line
of said section the words "except signs", and adding at the
end of said section the following: "Nothing contained herein
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shall be construed to grant permission to use the public
street, right-of-way, or public property, either permanently
or temporarily, without first obtaining a permit from the
Director of Public Works."
Section 4503 is amended by deleting said section in
its entirety.
Section 4504 is amended by deleting the language con-
tained in said section, and in lieu thereof inserting the follow-
ing:
"Section 4504. Oriel windows, balconies, unroofed
11 porches, cornices, belt courses and appendages such as water-
12 tables, sills, capitals, bases, and architectural projections
13 may project over the public property of the building site
14 as provided in Ordinance 796, or as permitted by the Director
15 of Bublic Works of the City of Vernon, and upon such terms
16 and conditions as may be reasonably imposed by said Director
17 of Public Works."
18 Section 4505 is amended by deleting therefrom sub-
19 paragraphs (b), (c), and (d), and by adding to sub-paragraph
20 (a), following the word "marquee", the following sentence:
21 "The projection, clearance length, and thickness of the
22 marquee will be subject to the approval of the Director of
23 Public Works of the City of Vernon."
24 Section 4507 is amended by deleting said section in
25 its entirety.
26 Section 5205 is deleted in its entirety and the follow-
27 ing substituted therefor:
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"Section 5205(a). Regardless of the provisions in
Chapter 34, no plastic shall be used in skylights installed
on any roof in the City of Vernon unless the skylight is
constructed of approved plastics and protective measures
are taken to prevent any person on the roof from walking or
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standing on the skylight. Such protection shall consist
of a suitable physical barrier erected around the skylight,
with details, installation, and construction standards
approved by the Superintendent of Building and the Fire
Chief of the City of Vernon.
"(b) All existing plastic skylights which may be
determined to be hazardous to any person or persons on
any roof in the City of Vernon shall be examined by the
Superintendent of Building or his authorized agent and/or
the Fire Chief of the City of Vernon or his authorized agent.
If said plastic skylight or skylights shall be determined
to be hazardous, the Superintendent of Building shall
require that the owner or person in charge of the affected
building shall erect a protective barrier around such
hazardous skylight, or remove the same, said barrier to
be in conformity with Section 5205(a) as set forth above,
and said removal of said skylight to be replaced with a
roof construction conforming to this Code, for the location,
type of construction, and occupancy of the building."
Section 5302 is amended to read as follows:
"Every spray booth having an open front elevation
larger in area thanmne square feet (9 sq.ft.), and which
is not equipped with doors, shall have a fire curtain or
metal deflector not less than four inches (4ft) deep
installed at the upper outer edge of the booth opening and
shall also be provided with an approved automatic fire-
extinguishing sprinkler head for each fifty square feet
(50 sq.ft.) of booth roof area.
"Interior ducts shall be protected with sprinklers.
Such sprinklers shall be installed not more than twelve feet
(l2') apart in horizontal ducts and shall be accessible
through duct access doors.tf
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.1 i Section 6003 of said Code is hereby amended by in-
2 serting the following in the first line after "Ordinance No.":
3 1t760 and 784,769".
4 Section 6004 is deleted in its entirety.
5 Appendix Chapters, 23, 38, 48, and 57 are hereby
6 incorporated as part of and included in said Code as part thereof
7 for all purposes as if set forth in full.
8 SECTION 3: Before any building permit or certificate
9 of occupancy may be issued for the construction or occupancy
10 of any structure within the City, it must appear: (1) That all
11 laws of the City pertaining to zoning, subdivision, setback
12 lines, fire and other laws and rules and regulations applicable
13 to the property for which the permit or certificate of occupancy
14 is sought have been complied with and that the granting of the
15 permit or certificate of occupancy will not result in a
16 contravention of any law or rule or regulation of the City;
17 (2) that the lot, parcel or unit of land for which the permit
18 or certificate of occupancy is sought has a reasonable minimum
19 frontage for the purposes for which the permit or certificate of
20 occupancy is sought has a reasonable minimum frontage for the
21 purposes for which the permit or certificate of occupancy is
22 required on a dedicated or otherwise publicly traveled street of
23 a reasonable width. The street shall be suitably improved in
24 accordance with standards and specifications now or hereafter
25 approved by the City Council, as adequate in respect to the
26 public health, safety, and general welfare for the special
27 circumstances of a particular street or highway. In the absence
28 of such standards and specifications, the suitability of such
29 improvements shall be approved by the Director of Public Works
30 of the City of Vernon, and he shall determine the improvements
31 required. Improvements in additioIl to any others shall include
32 wa ter, sewers, and reasonable public access; (3) that the lot,
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.1 parcel or unit of land for which the permit is sought has drainage
2 in accordance with good engineering principles, has installed
3 sewer service lines and water service lines adequate for the
4 particular structure and intended use.
5 The provisions of the preceding paragraph shall not
6 apply to repairs or remodeling of an existing structure.
7 SECTION 4: Should any section, subsection, clause or
8 provision of this Ordinance for any reason be held to be invalid
9 or unconstitutional, such invalidity or unconstitutionality
10 shall not affect the validity or constitutionality of the
11 remaining portions of this Ordinance; it being hereby expressly
12 declared that this Ordinance and each section, subsection,
13 sentence, clause and phrase hereof would have been prepared,
14 proposed, approved, and adopted irrespective of the fact that
15 anyone or more sections, subjects, sentences, clauses, or
16 phrases be declared invalid or unconstitutional.
17 SECTION 5: Every violation of this Ordinance is hereby
18 declared to be a public nuisance.
19 SECTION 6: Any person, firm or corporation violating
20 any of the provisions of this Ordinance shall be deemed guilty
21 of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in
22 an amount not exceeding Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00), or be
23 imprisoned in the County Jail of the County of Los Angeles, or
24 the City Jail of the City of Vernon, as the committing magistrate
25 may direct, for not more than ninety (90) days, or by both such
26 fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the Court. Each day
27 such violation is committed or permitted to continue, shall
28 constitute a separate offense and shall be punishable as such
2"9 hereunder.
30 SECTION 7: Ordinance No. 769 and all other Ordinances
31 or parts thereof in conflict with this Ordinance are hereby
32 repealed.
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SECTION 8: Wherever the position of Building Official
2 is referred to herein, the same shall be deemed to mean the
3 Superintendent of Building of the City of Vernon.
4 I SECTION 9- There being no newspaper printed, published
5 and circulated in the City of Vernon, the City Clerk is hereby
6 directed to certify to the passage of this Ordinance, and shall
7 post the same, or cause the same to be posted, in three of the
8 most public places in the City of Vernon, to wit: The northwest
9 corner of 38th Street and Santa Fe Avenue, the northeast corner
10 of Leonis Boulevard and Pacific Boulevard; and on the bulletin
11 board in the lobby of the City Hall of said City, located at
12 4305 Santa Fe Avenue, all in the City of Vernon, County of Los
13 Angeles, california; that this Ordinance shall be in full force
14 and effect thirty (30) days from and after the date of final
15 passage.
16
ADOPTED and APPROVED this 4th
day of November
17 1970.
ATTEST:
~..-vrLQ"'L
. Zl.emer, Cl.
1 L.I:.
9 of said City Council held on
10 following vote:
11 AYES: Councilmen: Anderson, Furlong, Mailliard, Malburg,
Ybarra
12 NOES: Councilmen: None
1
2
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
) SSe
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES )
31
4 I, F. A. ZIEMER, City Clerk of the City of Vernon, do
5\ hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance, being Ordinance No.
6
111
, was duly and regularly introduced at a regular meeting
7 of the Ci ty Council of the Ci ty of Vernon, held on October 6,
8
1970
, and thereafter finally adopted at a regular meeting
November 4, 1970
, by the
13 ABSENT: Councilmen: None
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~
City Clerk
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AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING
3 STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
)
4 COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ) ss.
)
5 CITY OF VERNON )
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I, F. A. ZIEMER, City Clerk of the City of Vernon, do
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hereby certify that I did, on the 5th
day of
November
1970 , post three (3) copies of Ordinance No. 817
, one in each of the following
11 places, to wit: At the northwest corner of 38th Street and Santa
12 Fe Avenue, at the northeast corner of Leonis Boulevard and Pacific
13 Boulevard, and on the bulletin board in the lobby of the City Hall
14 of the City of Vernon, located at 4305 Santa Fe Avenue, all in
15 said City, there being no newspaper of general circulation printed
16 and published in the City of Vernon.
Signed this
5th
day of
November
19 70 .
C[~ty Clerk
Subscribed and sworn to before me
,/ --- -~
this ..::7 day of /dJlJ-': ' 19 ~
~~ '4
~Cbc?I/lL g~o/
N~ry Public in and for the County of
Los Angeles, State of California.
)i~A.~~f''';';;~<
.: ..co. OFFICIAL SEAL ~
II ,f}~~""~ L RICHIlRD BURCH
) $<> 1\ NOTARY PUBLIC-CALIFORNIA
) '" 0 '>
~ 'l US AN;_',C:',ES COUNTY')
My Commission Expires Mar. 24.1973 >
4W5 Sqnta Fe Ave., Vernon. Calif. 90058