Charges Filed Against Owner of Apartments
Criminal charges were filed Friday against the owner of a North Hollywood apartment complex after city inspectors reported several instances of raw sewage leaking into county storm drains, the Los Angeles city attorney’s office said.
Lisa Corvalan, 68, of Northridge, was charged with three criminal counts of allowing sewage to enter a storm-drain system and permitting raw sewage to be discharged onto the ground.
Arraignment is scheduled Jan. 7 in Van Nuys Municipal Court.
The apartment, at 11411 Collins St., had been the target of complaints from neighbors last summer who said they saw raw sewage flowing from the building’s septic tanks, according to Deputy City Atty. Don Cocek.
Inspectors from the city Stormwater Management Division responded to residents’ complaints and on several instances found sewage flowing into an alley behind the property and into a county storm drain at Collins Street and Tujunga Boulevard, Cocek said.
After the incidents, the city ordered Corvalan to connect her building to the city sewer system.
But she reportedly failed to appear at two hearings on her alleged noncompliance with orders to fix the problem.
Each count against Corvalan carries a maximum punishment of six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
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