EAST LOS ANGELES : Clinic Plans Appeal of Eviction Deadline

The East Los Angeles Health Task Force faces a Tuesday deadline ordered by a municipal Judge to move out of the county-owned Centro Maravilla, where it has been administering free health services for mostly senior citizens for 17 years.

But Guy Lockhead, the attorney representing the clinic, said he would try to negotiate for extra time to move out of the center at 4716 E. Brooklyn Ave. He was not sure where the clinic would relocate.

Lockhead also said he has filed a notice to appeal Judge Henry Barela’s decision forcing the clinic out. He has also asked the judge to consider ordering a new trial.

The dispute that led to the judge’s Sept. 10 order arose last year when the county proposed moving three other agencies into two-thirds of the clinic’s 3,000-square-foot space. Center Director Geraldo Rodriguez testified that he believed the clinic was not adequately using all its space.

But clinic officials balked at that plan, and the county pursued eviction of the clinic.

Susan Arellano, executive director of the task force, argued that the county is playing politics and would have allowed the clinic to remain if several of its employees had dropped their claims against the county, which stemmed from an April 1 attempted eviction for which sheriff’s deputies were called in.

Barela agreed with the county that, as the owner and operator, it had the right to evict an agency from its property, whatever the reasons.

Deputy County Counsel Paul Hanson said Wednesday that he had not received word from the task force as to whether or not it needed more time before moving out. He said he would have to get approval from his supervisors before granting such a request.

Hanson said the county has not signed up other agencies to occupy the space, which includes several offices, a reception area, a waiting room and five examination rooms.