Landlord Facing New Charges of Violations

An Encino man was charged Thursday with criminal slum violations stemming from conditions of an 88-unit complex he owns in North Hollywood. This is his second such charge in eight months, the city attorney’s office announced.

Donald J. Braham, 68, is scheduled to be arraigned on March 13 in Los Angeles Municipal Court for 22 violations of various fire, health and building safety codes at the Clybourn Avenue complex.

The case against Braham grew out of Slum Housing Task Force inspections conducted in August through mid-November of the seven, two-story buildings, according to Deputy City Atty. Ken Kambara, a prosecutor in the office’s Housing Enforcement Unit.

Braham was cited for code violations ranging from hazardous electrical conditions such as unprotected wiring, open electric panels and uncovered outlets, to fire hazards that included missing smoke detectors, fire doors illegally propped open and fire sprinkler hoses painted over, authorities said.

Other violations included plumbing system problems, broken windows and damaged walls and ceilings.

The buildings also contained health hazards such as cockroach infestation and lack of exterior rodent-proof openings, according to Kambara.

The earlier case, filed in June, involved his 171-unit apartment complex on Lankershim Boulevard, also in North Hollywood.

Violations in that building included unsafe security bars, defective water pipes and accumulation of trash, garbage and debris on the roof, Kambara said.

Braham pleaded no contest Sept. 26 on eight code violations and was ordered to pay $12,202 in fines and costs.

When he failed to meet a court-imposed deadline to make repairs to the buildings, he was ordered to do 120 hours of community service and pay an additional $1,152 in costs, Kambara said.