Whodunit: September 2008 Archives

The wheels of justice turn slowly and awkwardly at best and that's little consolation to the victims of lawless behavior.

It all seemed so simple those many months ago when when my neighbors found out the foreclosed home nearby was being converted into a three-unit tenement -- three kitchens, four baths, more than a dozen rooms in all -- in 2,000 square feet.

Last month, the city charged the ownersThumbnail image for 18853haynes.jpg of the property at 19953 Haynes St. in Woodland Hills with four misdemeanor crimes -- illegal use of land, illegal occupancy, construction without a permit and failure to comply -- and gave them six weeks to appear in court.

Wednesday was their day in court. They didn't show up, Their lawyer didn't call. Warrants were issued for their arrest.

So tonight nothing has changed. There are still five or six cars in the driveway, the neighbors are still upset at seeing the modest stake in paradise being trashed by ineffective city policies and Kashi the dog  still is chained in front of the house and has my dog Bruno so scared he looks the other way when we walk by.

I learned in recent months that this kind of thing is going on all over the city and not enough is being done about it. Most of the time neighbors have to get together and make a big stink to get action.

While City Hall is saving us from second-hand smoke in the parks and taking money for the visual blight of 24-hour-a-day monster flashing electronic billboards, neighborhoods all over the city are being turned into slums.

I went to court in Van Nuys today to see how the system works when these defendants -- Nady Madhavi who bought the house in January and flipped it in May and something called Fidelity Investments LLC of Bellflower, the third owner in six months -- were due to enter their pleas.

I watched prostitues and druggies and abusers of animals and wives went before Magistrate Rebecca Omens one after another, most of them needing two or three months to pay fines and costs of $200 or so.

And I watched Deputy City Attorney Donald Cocek, with two Building and Safety officials standing by, deal with one case after another and patiently take time to talk to people accused of violating Building and Safety laws and regulations.

His goal was to get the problem fixed, to get people to comply with the rules, get permits and fix up their properties to code. There was a man who needed a Thai interpreter, one who needed a Korean interpreter, a third who needed a Spanish interpreter.

These were people who didn't understand the rules, who weren't turning single family homes into tenements, who weren't destroying the quality of life in their neighborhoods for profit. Cocek has a 100 percent compliance record in these cases.

My case was different and he was surprised no one showed up for it. But he's just the guy who handles the case in court, the guy who asks the judge to issue the arrest warrants. The Building and Safety guys just enforce the code.

Nobody, as far as this sleuth has been able to determine, actually investigates the relationships between the the three different owners this year of the house at 19953 Haynes Street. Nobody looks for the patterns, the larger abuses. And nobody can do anything about it as the clock keeps ticking and the rent keeps flowing in at the rate of about $5,000 a month.

The wheels of justice move slowly and the neighborhood's resentment over this nuisance keeps growing and City Hall keeps fiddling around while the city burns.

Where's Ron?


Catch Ron Here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs6TjElA3M4 to his appearance as a commentator Monday nighton the innovative news show "The Filter with Fred Roggin on NBC's Raw Channel 225 on Time Warner Cable. Watch The Filter Monday-Thursday where Ron will be one of the rotating commentators.

OurLA.org -- The News Revolution

What's happening in LA? Go to www.OurLA.org. EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL REPORT on OurLA.org: Debunking the Santa Susana Myth. Citizen journalist Chris Rowe reviewed thousands of pages of documents and got the scientists and engineers who were there 50 years ago this month to talk about what happened for the first time. Participate in the reinvention of journalism online. Share what you know and what you believe. Send your articles, photos, videos to info@ourla.org. OurLA.org -- a community-based online newspaper for the 21st century -- is now in beta test mode and gearing up for full launch in the coming weeks. Our LA is a non-profit that belongs to the community and depends on your efforts as citizen journalists and concerned citizens. Learn from others as we bring together the content of local websites and bloggers, professional journalists and experts, into a single comprehensive LA news site. Register at www.OurLA.org to be be full articipant. Email me at ronkaye@ourla.org if you want to volunteer or have questions and to let me know about local content websites you find useful and informative. You can make a tax-deductible contribution by sending a check to Community Partners for the benefit of OurLA.org to Community Partners, 1000 N. Alameda St. Suite 240, Los Angeles 90012 or by credit card http://www.communitypartners.org/donate.html

"HELP SAVE LA"

The Saving LA Project -- one year old on Bastille Day -- will hold its monthly meeting this Saturday, July 18, at 1 p.m. at the Glassell Park Community Center, 3750 N. Verdugo Road, next to Glassell Park. Join the movement to take back City Hall. Get involved in your local community groups and supprt SLAP's effort to bring the city together, to rediscover the Spirit of LA and to make our neighborhoods and our city a better place for everyone. Don't be a bystander. Get involved and help save LA.

About Ron

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.
You can email me at ron@ronkayela.com

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About this Archive

This page is a archive of entries in the Whodunit category from September 2008.

Whodunit: August 2008 is the previous archive.

Whodunit: October 2008 is the next archive.

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