"He's in the right zone, but the type of business he is proposing requires a conditional-use permit," says Gabriel Bautista, La Mirada City Planner.

This type of permit requires a fee of  $3000.

"Right now we are doing a courtesy preliminary review of the application," Bautista said, "but until the application is completed, including the fee, the process will not go forward to the planning commission."

The prelim from the city should be released any day.

What is tough to swallow for Lopez is, the $3000 will not be returned if the Planning Commission denies the application.

City Manager Tom Robinson mentioned that the fee goes towards the time spent with these types of permits, including for "that of the planning commission, staff work, and attorney fees."

Discouraged, Lopez recently lobbied at a City Council meeting to get the fee reduced or eliminated-with no luck.

Currently the city's zoning code classifies a tattoo parlor with businesses, such as adult book stores, which many people think is unfair, including the La Mirada Chamber of Commerce.

Former Chamber President Jack Miranda is Pastor of Living Faith Church and co-owner of Sugar and Spice bake shop, both in the same center, and the latter being next door to the proposed gallery.

Miranda attended the same city council meeting advocating for Lopez, afterwards he told us, "Whether we like it or not is irrelevant. It's not against the law [tattooing]. This is the 21st century; in this case the zoning code is unfair. Unfair for this man's endeavor."

"They [the city] should find ways to create a welcome environment for potential new businesses, not an unwelcome one," Miranda said.

Robinson said, "We have to be very careful about the type of businesses we let in the city. Because, once we let them in, they're in. And then, we don't have as much control over the situation, if there are issues."

For now, Lopez will wait for the preliminary review from the city, and then decide his next step.