City Cracks Down on 5 Motels in Van Nuys : Crime: Conditions aimed at curbing prostitution are imposed. Some fear that costs could force some owners out of business.

In a sweeping message to businesses on a crime-plagued strip of Sepulveda Boulevard, a city zoning administrator Wednesday ordered five Van Nuys motels to hire their own security officers and work more closely with police--or risk being shut down as magnets for prostitution.

City officials called the move the first of its kind to eliminate a neighborhood crime problem by cracking down on more than one business.

Associate City Zoning Administrator Daniel Green imposed at least 27 conditions on each motel. He also asked Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude, who initiated the investigation that led to the action, to seek additional police, encourage tougher anti-prostitution laws and add traffic signs that discourage prostitution.

Some police and residents touted the conditions as a victory for Braude and neighbors who complained about the motels. But others said they are concerned that the cost of the conditions could force some motels out of business.

“I think Braude took a good leadership action,” said Don Schultz, president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn. “He’s the first one who’s taken it this far and I’m proud that he did.”

“These conditions are going to help us with prostitution, no doubt about that,” said Capt. James McMurray, commander of the Police Department’s Van Nuys Station. “I just hope the motels can find a way to pay for it without going out of business.”

At least one motel manager felt the same way about the conditions, which also include a $4,052 bill to reimburse the city for the cost of the investigation, called a revocation process. This process can lead to the motels’ closure if conditions are not met.

“It’s unfair,” said Gene Ho, manager of the El Cortez Motel in the 5700 block of Sepulveda Boulevard. “Right now, the economy is bad. Business is bad. . . . We’ll take this to court. (Prostitution is) not just the motels’ problem.”

“There is a responsibility for the motel owner. There is a responsibility for the city,” Green countered. “Our desire in the planning department is not to shut the business down, but with these conditions, the nuisance should abate.”

The decision marked the first time the city has imposed zoning conditions on more than one business in the same area at the same time to alleviate a crime problem, Green said.

In his decision, Green recommended that Braude’s office seek legislation that prevents prostitutes from getting out of jail the same day they are arrested, as well as support increased police presence on Sepulveda Boulevard, roughly from Burbank Boulevard to Sherman Way.

Green also asked Braude to seek “no stopping” signs on east-west streets adjacent to Sepulveda to prevent prostitutes from being picked up in cars. He also suggested that Braude contact the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and ask the agency to remove bus benches where prostitutes can loiter.

“All of these things are reasonable and within the scope of probability and possibility,” said Cindy Miscikowski, Braude’s chief deputy.

Braude initially asked in December for an investigation of criminal activity at all 11 Sepulveda Boulevard motels in his district. Following an initial inquiry, city zoning officials decided to conduct a public hearing in January that dealt with only five motels.

The motels include The Cinema, Chateau, Bali Hi, Town House and El Cortez motels.

Green’s decision requires the motels to hire eight-hour daily security guards and a 24-hour on-call security service. Other conditions include providing adequate lighting, erecting signs forbidding prostitution and limiting access to and from Sepulveda Boulevard.

Green also ordered the Chateau to install a surveillance camera. But Jaimey Lo, the Chateau’s manager, said the motel will close this week because of recent fire damage.

In addition, the motels will be required to join a neighborhood or business watch, employ managers fluent in English and meet monthly with vice officers to help them identify suspected or habitual criminals seeking to rent rooms.

Motel owners were unavailable for comment. But managers at the Town House and the El Cortez said they will seek legal advice.

The motels have until March 17 to file an appeal to Green’s order. If no appeal is filed, the owners will face a review hearing within the next six months, Green said. If the conditions are not met or have not worked by that time, the city can close the businesses.

Green’s decision comes after neighbors and police testified at a public hearing last month about crime and other problems at the motels, which included complaints about drug dealing and prostitution. In his decision, Green called all the motels “a public nuisance” because of the volume of criminal activities at and around each location.

Police responded most to the Town House, where there were 87 arrests between 1992 and 1993. The Bali Hi had 64 arrests between 1992 and 1993 and the Chateau had 45 arrests in 1993 alone. Forty crimes were reported at The Cinema between 1991 and 1993. By comparison, only 19 crimes were reported at the El Cortez during the same period.

But Schultz said the prostitution problem has gone on far too long. Added security for the motels is “simply a cost of doing business,” he said.

However, Romana Catton, a member of the Chisholm Estates Neighborhood Watch, wondered if the conditions were too strict, but was not disappointed that the city took action.

She said her group has been working with the Bali Hi and the Town House to eliminate the crime problem. “Right now, both motels are clean,” Catton said. “And I can’t say that about the other ones.”

Both the Bali Hi and Town House have paid security, according to Catton and a Town House spokesman.

McMurray said that although prostitutes sometimes live in the motels, there are many others, including current Northridge earthquake victims, that rely on them for cheap lodging.

“If we put these motels out of business by virtue of these conditions,” McMurray said, “we’ve done a disservice to the community.”