Operator of Board-and-Care Homes Charged With Neglect
The city attorney’s office charged the operator of two troubled Tujunga board-and-care homes Tuesday with neglecting elderly residents and illegally operating the homes, officials said.
Perla Nunez, 44, of Upland, was charged with five counts of elder abuse and two counts of operating a residential care facility without a license.
Authorities expect to arraign Nunez on Aug. 30, Deputy City Atty. P. Greg Parham said.
On several visits to Ambassador Care at 10159 and 10161 Hillhaven Ave. in Tujunga, investigators said, they found health and safety violations, poor supervision, rundown buildings and lack of adequate food.
Officials shut down the facilities on Oct. 20 after Nunez ignored a ban on operating the home-care centers, Parham said.
“It was not a pleasant place,” he said. “I would not want to send my parents to that type of environment.”
Board-and-care facilities are required to provide some degree of supervision, but are not licensed to provide the level of medical assistance found at nursing homes, authorities said.
Efforts to reach Nunez on Tuesday were unsuccessful. If convicted, Nunez could face seven years in prison.
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