New Madonna Inn Sign Not Kitschy Enough, Say Local Bureaucrats

Historical accuracy of paint colors questioned  

Silas Lyons
The Tribune

It’s loud. It’s pink. It’s a little kitschy.

In other words, the sign that towers above Highway 101 at the Madonna Road offramp is made to match the hotel it advertises.

The question is, is it legal?

Alex and Phyllis Madonna, who own the landmark Madonna Inn, hoisted the renovated sign last week.

It has new neon, which city officials approved. But what they didn’t approve was the paint job — a hot pink face with a hotter green border.

The sign, in any form, would never be allowed under present city guidelines, said Ron Whisenand, deputy director of community development. However, because it predates those rules, it is allowed to stay as long as it doesn’t change.

“If they took it down with the intent of restoring the historic sign to what it was originally, that would be OK,” Whisenand said. But, he said, “it was never discussed in the conversation with the city that they intended to repaint the sign, or paint it a different color.”

Whisenand says he’s pretty sure the sign’s border wasn’t originally a glowing green, although it’s impossible to tell in old black and white photos; Alex Madonna says he frankly can’t remember.

“It’s been painted over probably 20 times,” he said.

If Madonna can’t prove the colors are historically accurate, Whisenand said, he’ll have to go to the Architectural Review Commission if he wants to keep them.

The commissioners will be asked “if they feel that the colors match the architectural character of the Madonna Inn,” Whisenand said.

If held, the hearing will be open to the public. “That will allow the opportunity for feedback from the community as to whether they like it, or don’t like it,” he said.

Madonna said he’s confident he has strong support for the sign.

“I was in Paso yesterday, and somebody said ‘Oh, I love your sign,’” he said. “I was at a party the other night, and 40, 50 people brought it up just out of the blue” to say they liked it.

In the past, Madonna said, the paint has faded quickly. But this time he used a special powder coating, so the political process should be the only thing that jeopardizes it.

“Hopefully it never fades,” he said.

Partying at Hearst Castle Reserved for Rich Folks

Aging Bigshots use State Park Monument for Self-Indulgent Shindigs 

By Kathe Tanner

Cambria -- People who want to visit Hearst Castle on Oct. 5 or 6 are out of luck unless they’re buddies of Steve Finn, a city councilman from Los Altos Hills in the Bay Area.

Finn has bought out the tours and rented the castle for his 50th birthday party.

The bash is part of a growing trend that lets big spenders have a memorable evening in return for some extra cash for the castle, which is run by the state Parks Department.

Last year, 22 special events brought $17,025 into the Hearst Castle coffers. In 1999, 21 events racked up $62,700, including $30,000 in permit fees from a Millennium/New Year’s party booked by Paso Robles developer David Weyrich. In 1998, organizers for six events paid $45,000 to use the castle as a backdrop.

The costs will mount up quickly for Finn as well.

Finn owns the Trust Company of America in Denver, commuting from Los Altos Hills and his part-time city council job. He didn’t want to say how much the party was going to cost him.

“But the castle will receive a lot of money. I’m paying full retail fees, and I’m happy to do that,” he said. “I’ve loved Hearst Castle ever since my parents brought me there as a child.”

Last year, Finn decided to hold his own 50th birthday party at the hilltop, inviting 100 couples from as far away as the East Coast. “We’ll be bringing a lot of money into the community, for hotels, shopping, car rentals, meals, lots of limousines,” he said. “I have enough toys, so I’ve asked my friends not to bring gifts, but to make a donation to Friends of Hearst Castle instead.”

He’ll make his own donation to the facility. As soon as he finds a Model A or Dodge truck from the early ’30s, he said, “I’ll have it restored, and it will be my birthday present to the castle.” He promises to have it on the hilltop by the time his birthday rolls around

All special events at the castle must meet strict guidelines set forth by management and a local task force. Those rules include paying full price for all tour tickets, plus a fee for the use of the facilities and wages for any staff involved.

About a dozen or so weddings have been held at the castle, according to staff. The most recent was on Sept. 20, 1998, when Samia Boudjakji — daughter of Millicent Hearst Boudjakji, a board member for the Hearst Corp. and the Hearst family trust — married Daryl Curtis Staehle. The festive occasion was profiled in Town and Country magazine in January 1999.

 How I Lived Six Years With My Mother's Corpse in the Bedroom

Local Loon 'Never Accepted the Fact That She Was Gone'

SAN LUIS OBISPO -
The San Luis Obispo woman who lived with her mother’s corpse for six years said Friday she realizes that not reporting the death was unusual.

But Loretta Jaeger, 63, is taking advantage of county mental health services and working to come to terms with her mother’s death.

“I guess I never had really accepted the fact that she was gone,” Jaeger said in a phone interview from her home. “I just wanted her always to be with me and never thought that far ahead, I guess.”

Police discovered Katherine Jaeger’s body at the home where the two women had lived together for nearly 30 years. Authorities believe Jaeger died of natural causes on Feb. 17, 1995, when she was 94. Investigators are waiting for the results of an examination by an anthropologist in Northern California.

Officers were asked to look in on Katherine Jaeger after a company that was issuing pension checks to the woman noticed they hadn’t been cashed for several years. When police knocked on the door of the south San Luis Obispo home on June 21, Jaeger answered and told them her mother was out of town.

Officers then peered into the window of the home’s front bedroom, which faces the street, and saw the outline of a body. Jaeger cooperated with police and let them into the home, telling them she knew it was wrong not to report the death.

Jaeger was taken to county mental health for observation. She said she spent several days at the hospital and is now using the department’s outpatient services.

Jaeger, an only child, said she doesn’t have relatives in the area, and many of her friends have died. Her father died in 1967.

“I was pretty much alone in this situation,” Jaeger said.

She added that her close relationship with her mother has made it difficult to come to terms with her death.

“It was just difficult to accept that she was gone because, well, she had been pretty healthy all those years and didn’t have much illness until the last two weeks,” Jaeger said. “Before that, she was functioning pretty well.”

Jaeger said her neighbors have been kind to her since the incident. She is working on her personal legal matters now, including trying to transfer the deed for the house she lives in from her mother to herself.

Katherine Jaeger’s body was transported to UC Santa Cruz two weeks ago, where a forensic anthropologist will try to determine an approximate cause of death.

“The anthropologist examines the skeletal structures, looking for evidence of injury or disease that may have contributed to or caused the death,” said sheriff’s Lt. Steve Bolts.

He added that investigators may never be certain of what led to Jaeger’s death.

Failure to report a death is a misdemeanor, but police say they do not plan to recommend that the District Attorney’s Office pursue charges against Jaeger.

“Right now there’s no pending charges,” said San Luis Obispo police Lt. Gary Orback.

Meanwhile Jaeger is awaiting the return of her mother’s body so that she can arrange a funeral. Until then, Jaeger said, she’s doing the best she can to take care of her own psychological needs.

“There are some days that are difficult, and other days are all right,” she said. “It’s quite an experience to go through — a very unusual experience.”