Sunset Hall Owners Vote to Refuse Sale to Developer

The owners of Sunset Hall voted overwhelmingly Sunday not to sell the retirement home for aged radicals and to keep the Mid-Wilshire facility open.

In a 139-7 decision, members of the nonprofit corporation that runs Sunset Hall resolved not to sell the property to a developer who had agreed to purchase it for $1.2 million.

Last fall, the home’s directors agreed to close and sell the facility in March because of low occupancy. After the decision, a group called the Committee to Save Sunset Hall--made up of residents and members of the nonprofit group operating the home--launched a campaign to keep the hall open.

They won a major battle March 6, when a Los Angeles Superior Court judge issued an order preventing the board from closing the home. The facility’s directors and administrator then resigned and were replaced by the current board, which favors keeping the home open.

The fate of Sunset Hall returned to court last week when Joseph Cofre, the developer who had agreed to buy the home, sued the nonprofit organization for allegedly reneging on its agreement to sell the home.