BOYLE HEIGHTS : Slum Conditions Still Not Fixed, City Says
A South-Central man was charged in Los Angeles Municipal Court last week with failing to repair slum conditions at a Boyle Heights apartment building.
Heliodoro Gutierrez, 43, will be arraigned Dec. 2 in Division 83 of Los Angeles Municipal Court on 31 counts of violating fire, health and building and safety codes in the building at 248 N. Chicago St. He was charged Oct. 21.
Gutierrez said Thursday that the two-story, 26-unit building was in “bad condition” when he purchased it in March. He said he has been working on the plumbing and has done other repairs. “It takes more time than they think,” he said. “It’s not like I’m doing nothing.”
A city Slum Housing Task Force inspection conducted earlier this year found exposed electrical wiring, security bars without quick-release devices over windows, a blocked fire exit hallway, missing fire extinguishers, cracked paint and plaster, broken plumbing, cockroach infestation and a loose handrail, according to City Atty. James K. Hahn’s office.
Deputy City Atty. Michael R. Wilkinson, who is handling the case, acknowledged that Gutierrez has made improvements on the building.
“He’s one of the folks making good progress,” Wilkinson said. “I think he’s done a lot of work since the case has been filed.”
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