Landlord in Eviction Plan Loses Utilities in Other Units

Los Angeles officials, saying the city was owed $135,000, this week shut off utilities to more than 200 Central Los Angeles apartments owned by a man who is the prime mover behind a controversial neighborhood renewal plan in Northridge.

Utilities were restored Wednesday after more than 24 hours when the landlord, Lance Robbins, made what Department of Water and Power officials said was a “satisfactory arrangement” to pay the bills, including an initial payment of several thousand dollars.

The action was the latest in a series of financial and legal problems facing Robbins, who helped draft the plan tentatively approved by the City Council last week to eliminate crime and poverty in the Bryant Street-Vanalden Avenue area of Northridge by evicting the 3,000 predominantly low-income Latinos who live there.

The plan is expected to return to the City Council for final approval this fall, but political support has been eroding in the wake of opposition from at least eight community groups that claim the measure is racist and illegal.

Disputes Charges

Robbins is scheduled to be arraigned today in Los Angeles Municipal Court on alleged health code violations at two buildings in the inner city, including one where utilities were cut. He claims that the city’s case against him was the result of actions of previous owners and that he has since corrected the building, fire and health code violations.

DWP officials confirmed Wednesday that it had stopped water or power service in six buildings currently or formerly owned by Robbins because of past-due bills, some as overdue as 10 months.

Jim Derry, DWP director of customer services, said DWP normally shuts off only one utility because “that’s effective . . . to get the tenants on the landlord’s back” so that the utility bills are paid.

Robbins did not deny that he owes the DWP money but disputed the amount, saying it was only about $50,000.

He said the debt is largely the result of higher utility costs than expected at one of his buildings. He said the income from the building has not kept up with the costs.

Robbins, 38, who is in the business of buying run-down buildings, fixing them, then selling them at a profit, criticized the DWP action.

“Tenants shouldn’t be victims of disputes between the landlord and DWP,” he said. Before negotiating an initial payment, Robbins said that the matter should be settled in court.

Asked about the tenants, Derry said: “We sympathize with them. They’re unfortunately caught in the middle. But we’re left with little other choice.”

Tenants’ Options

Derry said individual tenants could not pay to restore service in only their own units because most apartment buildings operate on a single meter. He said tenants could have gotten together and paid the bill jointly, however.

Robbins said his financial and legal problems should have no bearing on his participation in the Bryant-Vanalden project.

“Does the fact that I owe somebody money disqualify me from coming up with an idea that could have a positive social impact?” Robbins asked.

Robbins, a major apartment owner in the Bryant-Vanalden area, has worked closely with Councilman Hal Bernson on the plan that calls for evicting tenants in the area, renovating the units and renting them at higher prices.

The plan asks the City Council to create an exemption to the city’s rent-control laws governing apartment evictions.