Apartment Owners Face Charges Over Slum Conditions
The owners of an apartment complex in Hollywood are facing criminal charges for allowing slum conditions in the three buildings, said a Los Angeles city attorney’s office spokesman.
Inspectors from the city’s Slum Housing Task Force found tenants of the 194-unit complex on El Centro and La Mirada avenues living without heat and with holes in the walls, said spokesman Mike Qualls.
The inspections, conducted from July through October of last year, also found cockroach infestation, hazardous electrical wiring, a broken central fire alarm system, blocked and broken fire doors, trash on the grounds and security bars without quick-release devices, which are a fire hazard.
Eshak Bral, 72, and Peyman Bral, 35, both of Beverly Hills, have been charged with 38 violations of fire, health, and building and safety codes. They are scheduled for arraignment in Los Angeles Municipal Court on Jan. 30.
The criminal prosecution comes after the owners refused to comply with citations issued by the city’s Building and Safety Department, said Deputy City Atty. Michael R. Wilkinson.
“The fact that the conditions exist and the person has not made the repairs makes it a violation itself,” Wilkinson said.
The Brals could not be reached for comment.
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