Pair Charged With Safety Violations at Apartments

Criminal charges were filed Thursday against a husband and wife who allegedly have not addressed numerous health and building safety code violations at a three-story apartment complex they own in the Westlake section of Los Angeles, authorities said.

Ramin Akhavan, 32, and Aida S. Akhavan, 29, of Encino were charged by the Los Angeles city attorney’s office with 27 violations including operating an apartment complex that lacks heat and has broken windows.

The Akhavans are scheduled for arraignment Nov. 18 in Los Angeles Municipal Court, said Mike Qualls, a spokesman for the city attorney’s office.

The charges against the couple stem from inspections conducted between June 23 and Sept. 1 by the city attorney’s Housing Enforcement Unit at the building in the 700 block of South Westlake Avenue, said Ken Kambara, the deputy city attorney handling the case.

The Akhavans’ building--which is currently occupied--allegedly contains other violations including holes in the walls, unprotected electrical wiring, defective drains, unsanitary tub and sink surfaces, missing lighted emergency signs and missing smoke detectors, Kambara said. The Akhavans have not repaired the violations despite repeated warnings, he said.