Slums Los Angeles

A landlord was recently convicted of slum violations for the third time in eight years after pleading no contest to 12 violations of fire, health, and building and safety codes at 840 S. Hobart Blvd., an aging 103-unit apartment complex. Joseph Tabello, 62, of La Habra was fined $15,136, ordered to perform 50 hours of community service and placed on three years' probation.

After hearing complaints about slum conditions, top city housing officials promised tenants Saturday that the Housing Department will turn the heat up on owners of blighted apartment buildings. Tenants cited problems such as apartments infested with rodents and roaches and buildings without working utilities during the meeting held in downtown Los Angeles and sponsored by the Inquilinos Unidos' Organizing Committee, a nonprofit group that assists tenants with housing complaints.

A South-Central man was charged in Los Angeles Municipal Court last week with failing to repair slum conditions at a Boyle Heights apartment building. Heliodoro Gutierrez, 43, will be arraigned Dec. 2 in Division 83 of Los Angeles Municipal Court on 31 counts of violating fire, health and building and safety codes in the building at 248 N. Chicago St. He was charged Oct. 21. Gutierrez said Thursday that the two-story, 26-unit building was in "bad condition" when he purchased it in March.

A Las Vegas resident must pay $13,032 in fines and costs after pleading no contest to slum violations at the now-closed Hotel Californian, a 201-unit apartment building at 1907 W. 6th Street. Syed Ali, 55, was charged with five violations of fire, health, building and safety codes in the five-story, 1920s brick structure. Still more costs to be billed to Ali are pending. The hotel was severely damaged in an apparent arson fire last November and is currently being demolished by the city.

After hearing complaints about slum conditions, top city housing officials promised tenants Saturday that the Housing Department will turn the heat up on owners of blighted apartment buildings. Tenants cited problems such as apartments infested with rodents and roaches and buildings without working utilities during the meeting held in downtown Los Angeles and sponsored by the Inquilinos Unidos' Organizing Committee, a nonprofit group that assists tenants with housing complaints.

The Brandon Hotel is the kind of building where some people go to live when they're down on their luck, and others when they want to hide. "I would never tell my mother that I live here," one resident said in a near whisper, displaying a bathroom shared by several tenants on one hall. The room stank, and a three-inch cockroach lay dead in the shower stall.

The owner of a nonprofit corporation formed to help house the homeless has been sentenced to perform 500 hours of community service after pleading no contest to charges of slum conditions at his 67-room residence hotel. Los Angeles Municipal Judge Glenette Blackwell also placed Dondald Joseph Nall, 54, and his company, Peace House Inc., on three years' probation and ordered that the Beverly Hotel at 1330 S. Olive St. remain closed.

Owners of the Hollenbeck View residential hotel who were convicted of city code violations were sentenced last week to two years' probation and fined $500 each, plus court penalties. Municipal Judge Ronald Schoenberg also ordered James V. and Gwendolyn G. Carone of Mission Viejo to pay $1,700 in court penalties in their July 7 sentencing. "I wish we could quadruple this, but we have to go after them a building at a time," said Deputy City Atty. Richard M. Bobb of the Slum Housing Task Force.

An apartment building owner is serving 45 days of house arrest at the building, monitored by an electronic device fitted to his ankle, after his conviction of building and safety violations last month. Los Angeles Municipal Judge Leland Harris sentenced Ronald J. Olenczuk, 62, of Palos Verdes Estates, to live in a room on the fifth floor of the six-story, 96-unit building at 744 S. Beacon Ave. Olenczuk, who began his sentence July 28, pleaded no contest to 10 violations, said Deputy City Atty.

A Las Vegas resident must pay $13,032 in fines and costs after pleading no contest to slum violations at the now-closed Hotel Californian, a 201-unit apartment building at 1907 W. 6th Street. Syed Ali, 55, was charged with five violations of fire, health, building and safety codes in the five-story, 1920s brick structure. Still more costs to be billed to Ali are pending. The hotel was severely damaged in an apparent arson fire last November and is currently being demolished by the city.

A landlord was recently convicted of slum violations for the third time in eight years after pleading no contest to 12 violations of fire, health, and building and safety codes at 840 S. Hobart Blvd., an aging 103-unit apartment complex. Joseph Tabello, 62, of La Habra was fined $15,136, ordered to perform 50 hours of community service and placed on three years' probation.

The owner of a nonprofit corporation formed to help house the homeless has been sentenced to perform 500 hours of community service after pleading no contest to charges of slum conditions at his 67-room residence hotel. Los Angeles Municipal Judge Glenette Blackwell also placed Dondald Joseph Nall, 54, and his company, Peace House Inc., on three years' probation and ordered that the Beverly Hotel at 1330 S. Olive St. remain closed.

A South-Central man was charged in Los Angeles Municipal Court last week with failing to repair slum conditions at a Boyle Heights apartment building. Heliodoro Gutierrez, 43, will be arraigned Dec. 2 in Division 83 of Los Angeles Municipal Court on 31 counts of violating fire, health and building and safety codes in the building at 248 N. Chicago St. He was charged Oct. 21. Gutierrez said Thursday that the two-story, 26-unit building was in "bad condition" when he purchased it in March.

An apartment building owner is serving 45 days of house arrest at the building, monitored by an electronic device fitted to his ankle, after his conviction of building and safety violations last month. Los Angeles Municipal Judge Leland Harris sentenced Ronald J. Olenczuk, 62, of Palos Verdes Estates, to live in a room on the fifth floor of the six-story, 96-unit building at 744 S. Beacon Ave. Olenczuk, who began his sentence July 28, pleaded no contest to 10 violations, said Deputy City Atty.

Owners of the Hollenbeck View residential hotel who were convicted of city code violations were sentenced last week to two years' probation and fined $500 each, plus court penalties. Municipal Judge Ronald Schoenberg also ordered James V. and Gwendolyn G. Carone of Mission Viejo to pay $1,700 in court penalties in their July 7 sentencing. "I wish we could quadruple this, but we have to go after them a building at a time," said Deputy City Atty. Richard M. Bobb of the Slum Housing Task Force.

The city attorney's office filed criminal charges last week against the owners of four Downtown apartment buildings who have a history of failing to address slum conditions at their properties. Daniel and Nancy Lee of the Mount Olympus area in Hollywood Hills were charged with 31 criminal violations of fire, health, building and safety codes at the four buildings a block north of the Los Angeles Convention Center. They will be arraigned July 1 in Los Angeles Municipal Court.

The city attorney's office filed criminal charges last week against the owners of four Downtown apartment buildings who have a history of failing to address slum conditions at their properties. Daniel and Nancy Lee of the Mount Olympus area in Hollywood Hills were charged with 31 criminal violations of fire, health, building and safety codes at the four buildings a block north of the Los Angeles Convention Center. They will be arraigned July 1 in Los Angeles Municipal Court.

The Brandon Hotel is the kind of building where some people go to live when they're down on their luck, and others when they want to hide. "I would never tell my mother that I live here," one resident said in a near whisper, displaying a bathroom shared by several tenants on one hall. The room stank, and a three-inch cockroach lay dead in the shower stall.