Couple Are Accused as Slumlords

A Granada Hills couple was charged Thursday with violations of more than 30 health, building and safety code regulations at a 117-unit apartment complex they own, the Los Angeles city attorney’s office said.

Salomon Wainberg, 68, and his wife, Olga, 61, were charged after inspectors investigated Vanowen Gardens at 13100 Vanowen St.

City Atty. Jim Hahn said the Wainbergs, who have owned Vanowen Gardens since 1992, will be arraigned Sept. 5 in Los Angeles Municipal Court.

Investigators from the Slum Housing Task Force who conducted a series of inspections at the apartments between May and July said they found many infractions, including broken heaters, damaged ceilings, exposed electrical wiring and mountains of trash in and around the buildings.

Residents of the complex said they have long complained to the resident managers about the problems.

Efrain Alvarado and his wife, Gloria, said they have tried to battle the roach problem with spray cans of insecticide. Alvarado pointed to his ceiling, where he said he had fixed a leak himself. Alvarado said he has grudgingly accepted the leaky faucets and bad plumbing because he doesn’t expect the maintenance man at the apartment to fix anything.

“There are big fat cockroaches everywhere; it’s like there are millions of them,” said 13-year-old Rosa Cyphers about her apartment. “Me and my mom have stayed up all night cleaning the house because there are so many.”

Rosa’s mother, Sandra Cyphers, said the family has to turn off the water valve under the sink because the faucet has leaked for months. Plus, she said, “The cold water doesn’t work.”

Just across the walkway, Sandra’s sister, Debra Ribot, pointed to a heater that had an exposed flame. Ribot said the heater had been broken for the entire six months she has lived in the apartment.

“I guess they think we should accept it just the way it is,” she said angrily. “They probably think that since most of the people here are immigrants that they won’t say anything about it. And a lot of the immigrants don’t have a green cards, so they might be afraid to complain about it.”

Juana Ochoa said she worries that roach and bug infestation will affect the health of her five children. Her 12-year-old daughter, Josefina, has already had an ear infection caused by being bitten by bugs while sleeping on a dirty carpet, Ochoa said.

In an interview in the rental office of the complex, the building’s on-site manager, Zeev Levali, acknowledged that inspectors demanded that the complex make some changes to deal with the violations. Since the citations were issued, new paint has been applied in some apartments and tattered carpets are being replaced in some units, he said.

But he blamed the trash and bug problem at least partially on tenants. “Not everybody here knows how to keep their apartments clean,” he said.