Marilyn Monroe's Old House May Get LA Politician Recalled

The house was demolished in June to make way for a condo
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 9, 2016 12:09 PM CDT
Marilyn Monroe's Old House May Get LA Politician Recalled
Decades after her death, Marilyn Monroe could play a role in ousting a Los Angeles city council member.   (AP Photo, File)

A Los Angeles city council member may lose his job because someone tore down a house once occupied by Marilyn Monroe, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. Monroe lived in the Valley Village house a few miles north of Hollywood six decades ago, when she was 17-year-old Norma Jean Dougherty. A group of residents were trying to get historical designation for the house, but it was demolished just days before a scheduled hearing in June. According to the Los Angeles Times, city staffers didn't want the house considered for historical protection, and it was removed to make way for a condo project.

One Valley Village resident, Donna Gooley, says the demolition of Monroe's old home is the major reason for an effort to recall Los Angeles city council member Paul Krekorian, a petition for which got official approval last week. Some residents blame Krekorian for not supporting the effort to protect Monroe's house specifically and the community he represents in general. One constituent tells the Times that Krekorian is "destroying the neighborhoods" with "horrendous high rises." The petition to recall Krekorian accuses him of favoring business interests in development over those of the community, My News LA reports. The petition needs more than 18,500 signatures from registered voters in Krekorian's district for the recall effort to move forward. It could be an uphill battle: Krekorian was reelected in 2015 with 75% of the vote. (More Marilyn Monroe stories.)

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