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Interim Suspension Order Granted Against Glendale Cemetery

SACRAMENTO — An Administrative Law Judge has granted an Interim Suspension Order (ISO) against the operators of a Glendale cemetery, after an inspection by the California Department of Consumer Affairs' Cemetery and Funeral Bureau uncovered numerous violations of State law.

The order, however, allows Grand View Memorial Park to remain open so that people can continue to visit the graves of loved ones and already-scheduled burials can proceed. However, no new graves will be sold at the site until the Bureau completes its review of the cemetery's operations.

"We felt the problems at Grand View required swift intervention, which is why we chose to seek an ISO," said Charlene Zettel, Director of the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA). "This will allow us to better protect consumers while we complete our investigation."

The Bureau's investigation was launched' following a routine inspection in July. The investigation's' findings include:

• The discovery of approximately 4,000 urns of cremated human remains, some dating as far back as the 1930s, stored at the site. They are believed to be those of indigents and people whose families never picked them up;
• The sale of at least seven cemetery plots to more than one buyer;
• Disinterments without the necessary permits;
• Failure to maintain complete and accurate cemetery and cremation records.

Those findings and other violations of state regulations "while representative of the problems being uncovered by the Bureau, are by no means exclusive," wrote Bureau Chief Sherrie Moffet-Bell in the petition seeking the ISO. "In order to stop the ongoing violations and to prevent future violations from occurring, an Interim Suspension Order is necessary."

Grand View is operated by Grand View Memorial Park, Inc., headed by Marsha Lee Howard and Moshe Lawrence Goldsman. Ms. Howard managed day-to-day operations at the cemetery, while Mr. Goldsman acted as a kind of silent partner.

In his order, Administrative Law Judge H. Stuart Waxman forbid Ms. Howard, whose home abuts the cemetery, from setting foot on cemetery grounds. Mr. Goldsman will conduct day-to-day operations at the site while the Bureau completes its investigation. A hearing is set for January 19, 2006, to discuss the cemetery's final disposition.

DCA's Cemetery and Funeral Bureau licenses and regulates the California funeral and cemetery industries. It also investigates complaints against funeral homes, crematories, state-licensed cemeteries and individual licensees. For more information, visit www.cfb.ca.gov.

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