By Jim Robinson, President

WAHA members should be very proud of the role they played in persuading the Planning Commission to continue protecting monument interiors through the city's Cultural Heritage Ordinance.

Many WAHA members were among the dozens of preservationists who spoke at the commission's final hearing Thursday in the City Council Chamber, arguing that historic interiors can be just as important as exteriors sometimes more so.

Over the previous two months, WAHA members Rory Cunningham, Laura Meyers, Mitzi Mogul and David Rapoza joined me and other preservationists in a Working Group formed by the Planning Department that spent more than 12 hours trying to persuade some of the city's most powerful interests to withdraw their opposition.

Opponents at Thursday's commission hearing included the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, a consortium of film studios, and the Central City Association, representing hundreds of major businesses.

In the end, our reasoned arguments in dozens of emails and one-minute speeches prevailed. We owe tremendous thanks to all our members and those of other preservation organizations who lent their support to this vital effort.