Chapter Six: Criminal Charges
The wheels of justice grind slowly -- if at all.
For the last month, I backed away from my voluntary role as neighborhood detective to see how the system dealt with the illegal conversion in my Valley tract after the councilman, the Building and Safety Department and the City Attorney' Rocky Delgadillo's Office knew the mystery of who's killing my neighborhood was in the public eye.
Today, the current owner of the house at 19953 Haynes St.
in my Valley floor tract that became a tenement over the last six months and a former owner were charged with crimes, four of them, all misdemeanors, each carrying $1,000 fines and/or six months in jail.
The allegations are zoning code violations for illegal use of land, illegal use and occupancy of a building, alteration of a building without permits and failure to comply with Building and Safety orders.
My neighbors will be thrilled at the good news but as their lead investigator in this case I'm going to have to tell them that nothing has changed and won't for a while.
Nady Mahdavi of West Hills who bought the house out of foreclosure back in January and representatives of the company that took over in July -- something called Fidelity Investments LLC in Bellflower, which is not to be confused with the mutual fund giant of the same name -- won't be arraigned until Sept. 24.
At that point, they would be booked and the legal process begins which could take a while. After that there's the question of when the three tenants who live in three separate apartments with more than a dozen rooms in 2,047 square feet actually have to move and the house restored to its original single family status.
The wheels of justice grind slowly -- if at all.
For the last month, I backed away from my voluntary role as neighborhood detective to see how the system dealt with the illegal conversion in my Valley tract after the councilman, the Building and Safety Department and the City Attorney' Rocky Delgadillo's Office knew the mystery of who's killing my neighborhood was in the public eye.
Today, the current owner of the house at 19953 Haynes St.
in my Valley floor tract that became a tenement over the last six months and a former owner were charged with crimes, four of them, all misdemeanors, each carrying $1,000 fines and/or six months in jail.The allegations are zoning code violations for illegal use of land, illegal use and occupancy of a building, alteration of a building without permits and failure to comply with Building and Safety orders.
My neighbors will be thrilled at the good news but as their lead investigator in this case I'm going to have to tell them that nothing has changed and won't for a while.
Nady Mahdavi of West Hills who bought the house out of foreclosure back in January and representatives of the company that took over in July -- something called Fidelity Investments LLC in Bellflower, which is not to be confused with the mutual fund giant of the same name -- won't be arraigned until Sept. 24.
At that point, they would be booked and the legal process begins which could take a while. After that there's the question of when the three tenants who live in three separate apartments with more than a dozen rooms in 2,047 square feet actually have to move and the house restored to its original single family status.
The drama goes back to the Northridge Earthquake and a series of
ownership changes that followed leading up to turning it into a
board-and-care facility in 2001. It changed hands a couple of times and
then went into foreclosure last summer.
In January, Nady Madhavi bought the house and soon after workmen arrived and started the conversion. Neighbors were curious and then worried as they saw rooms being subdivided and extra kitchens and bathrooms installed. They complained to Councilman Dennis Zine and to the Building and Safety Department and in March the owner was cited for construction without a permit.
By the time the private hearing came up in May, ownership of the house was flipped to Claudia Perez of West Hills. The price listed in records had jumped 40 percent, $500,000 to $700,000.
At the point, a for rent sign went up, referring potential tenants to Westside Rentals, that takes their money but no responsibility for the free listings they provide to landlords and property management companies.
Soon, the units were all rented for something close to $5,000 a month in a neighborhood where $2,000 a month for a whole house is considered reasonable.
Soon, there were five cars parked in the drive or in front.
Soon, Building and Safety Inspector Angel Sindayen was back at the house writing up new citations that led to a fuller investigation and the charges today.
Not long after his visit, Claudia Perez flipped the house again, this time to the so-called Fidelity Investments.
And that's where it stands.
While there's all kinds of complaints about these illegal conversions from residents in all parts of L.A. City Attorney's spokesman, Frank Mateljian, says there have only been about 40 prosecutions so far this year. And all ended in the compliance by the owners.
How long that will take in this case and what else comes out along the way is unclear. The only thing I know for sure is my work as neighborhood detective isn't over.
In January, Nady Madhavi bought the house and soon after workmen arrived and started the conversion. Neighbors were curious and then worried as they saw rooms being subdivided and extra kitchens and bathrooms installed. They complained to Councilman Dennis Zine and to the Building and Safety Department and in March the owner was cited for construction without a permit.
By the time the private hearing came up in May, ownership of the house was flipped to Claudia Perez of West Hills. The price listed in records had jumped 40 percent, $500,000 to $700,000.
At the point, a for rent sign went up, referring potential tenants to Westside Rentals, that takes their money but no responsibility for the free listings they provide to landlords and property management companies.
Soon, the units were all rented for something close to $5,000 a month in a neighborhood where $2,000 a month for a whole house is considered reasonable.
Soon, there were five cars parked in the drive or in front.
Soon, Building and Safety Inspector Angel Sindayen was back at the house writing up new citations that led to a fuller investigation and the charges today.
Not long after his visit, Claudia Perez flipped the house again, this time to the so-called Fidelity Investments.
And that's where it stands.
While there's all kinds of complaints about these illegal conversions from residents in all parts of L.A. City Attorney's spokesman, Frank Mateljian, says there have only been about 40 prosecutions so far this year. And all ended in the compliance by the owners.
How long that will take in this case and what else comes out along the way is unclear. The only thing I know for sure is my work as neighborhood detective isn't over.
Ron Kaye is the former editor of the Los Angeles Daily News where he spent 23 years helping to make the newspaper the voice of the San Fernando Valley and fighting for a city government that serves the people and not special interests.
Twice in recent years, Los Angeles Magazine listed Kaye among the city’s most influential people, specifically in the area of politics. Kaye has been variously described in the media as the “accidental anarchist,” “the Patrick Henry of the San Fernando Valley” and a “passionate populist.” He is now committed to
carrying on his crusade for a greater Los Angeles as an ordinary citizen. Previously, Ron worked at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner,
Associated Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer and The Australian as well as papers
in Fairbanks, Alaska and Yakima, Wash. He also wrote for Newsweek magazine, The Guardian in London and the National Enquirer.
Every neighborhood should have its own Hercule Poirot - especially if he blogs! I still think, however, it would have been easier just to let Bruno loose in their yard.
I agree.
Grrrrrrrrrr!
Let me att'em!
Bruno