Slumlord May Regain Control of Apartments
Dr. Milton Avol, the Beverly Hills slumlord who gained notoriety a decade ago when sentenced to jail time in one of his buildings, has taken legal action that could restore him as owner of a slum apartment house in downtown Los Angeles.
After his brush with the law, Avol sold the seedy 110-unit building on South Main Street near Washington Boulevard, taking a promissory note from the buyer.
But last December when the buyer failed to make his payments, Avol filed suit in Superior Court and persuaded a judge to appoint a receiver to manage the property.
If payments on the note continue in arrears, Avol could ultimately demand a foreclosure sale, regaining direct control if no one else wants to buy the property.
Avol could not be reached Friday, but his attorney, Gregg A. Matson of Santa Monica, said that the retired neurosurgeon was simply protecting his interests in the property.
Mattson said Avol had given no indication whether he intends to foreclose on the building.
From the perspective of the tenants, Avol did them no favor by getting a receiver appointed. They say dangerous slum conditions continue to exist throughout the building.
“Avol asked the court to appoint this receiver, and these horrendous conditions persist,” said the tenants’ attorney, Lauren K. Saunders of Bet Tzedek Legal Services.
“There are babies and small children at risk in these apartments,” added co-counsel M. Cris Armenta of Alschuler, Grossman & Pines.
Tenants said that despite some cosmetic changes, the receiver has done little to correct serious hazards in their studio apartments.
“The rats still jump on top of you at night; they even crawl up the curtains, said Elodia Castaneda, 50, who has lived in the building for the last 13 years.
Antonia Perez, 28, who occupies another cramped apartment with her husband and five children, said her family can’t sleep at night because of the constant sound of mice scratching their way across the floor and over furniture.
Another tenant, Bernardo Peralta, said, “My family and my infant son have gone without hot water for one entire month.”
The building, which appears to have been a hotel in earlier times, is now occupied mostly by immigrants from Mexico and Central America who pay $350 a month rent. The tenants’ allegations are supported by complaints to the receiver, John Kim, from several city and county agencies.
Inspectors have warned of everything from rodent infestation to hazardous lead-based paint conditions to a nonoperating fire safety system.
In the most recent complaint, dated March 12, Robert D. Barton of the city’s Slum Housing Task Force, wrote Kim:
“Recent inspection reveals that only cosmetic repairs are being made and that the numerous fire and life safety issues are not being addressed.
“You are advised that since you are the court appointed receiver and person in control of the property, you should direct your attention to the safety of the tenants and not the cosmetics of the building.”
A receptionist at his office said Kim could not be reached until next week.
In addition to the health and safety dangers, the receiver has done nothing about the building’s manager, who has withheld mail from some tenants and “threatened physical harm to others,” said Enrique Velasquez, a tenant organizer with Inquilinos Unidos (Tenants United).
Some tenants are taking part in a rent strike, depositing their monthly rents in a trust account established by the nonprofit Bet Tzedek Legal Services.
On Friday, attorneys for the tenants appeared before Superior Court Judge Robert H. O’Brien seeking permission to intervene immediately in the case to insure that living conditions are improved.
But the judge denied their petition for immediate intervention.
“We can still come back and do this in a few weeks,” said Saunders. “We feel it’s unfortunate, but the judge doesn’t think this is an urgent situation.”
