PACOIMA : Panel Delays Motel Permit Revocation

A city zoning panel voted 3 to 1 Tuesday to give the owner of a Pacoima motel six months to prove that he has cleaned up prostitution problems at his business or face proceedings to revoke his motel operating permit.

The decision by the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals was a victory for Paul C. Wei, owner of the Villa Las Palmas Motel at 12205 San Fernando Road.

Councilman Ernani Bernardi and a lower-ranking city zoning official had urged the panel Tuesday to take the first step toward revoking the city-issued conditional-use permit that allows the motel to operate.

But panel members said they believed that under Wei’s ownership the motel had taken steps to clean up prostitution problems and had worked with vice officers conducting sting operations against streetwalkers.

Police reports indicated that the prostitution problems predated Wei’s ownership of the motel, chairwoman Valeria Velasco said. “I’m not convinced that the problem still exists,” she added. But Bernardi’s chief deputy, David Mays, warned that the cleanup may be only temporary.

To guarantee that the improvements are permanent, Mays urged the board to impose 17 new conditions on the operation of the hotel, including a ban on rental of rooms for less than a day and provisions to require that customers show identification when registering and that the owner hire a guard.

Under city law, failure to comply could result in another hearing to revoke the owner’s operating permit.