City Asked to Close Alley Behind Reseda Kaiser Clinic
The owners of a Reseda office building recently leased by Kaiser Permanente have asked the city to close off an alley behind the building to discourage criminal activity in the area.
A resolution approving the closure is scheduled to go before the City Council this week. If the council accepts the Public Works Committee’s recommendation, the alley behind the building at 18040 Sherman Way would be closed for 18 months.
Kaiser spokeswoman Linda Quon said the alley does not serve as a vehicle or pedestrian thoroughfare, but merely provides rear access to the building.
“We are supporting the request because it would help improve parking for the building and increase security,” Quon said. “There have been some incidents [of] disruptive behavior.”
John Erickson, a senior lead officer for the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Valley Division, said his officers have made numerous arrests in the area in the last few years for drug sales, prostitution and vandalism.
“These problems have not been confined to a specific location but have been in the area,” Erickson said. “With the history of the activity there and the location of the alley, which is concealed and off the street, the potential for a problem was there.”
Kaiser, which moved into the building in March, houses psychiatric offices and runs walk-in counseling programs at the location, Quon said.
The owner of the building, PRG Investment Fund of Beverly Hills, could not be reached for comment.
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