Valley Roundup

A Northridge man was sentenced Thursday to 300 hours of community service and ordered to pay $4,151 in fines and costs after pleading no contest to criminal slum violations at a Sylmar apartment building he owned, city officials said.

Mahendra Thakershi Kardani, 62, was sentenced by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Alan Ellis on three violations of the city Building and Safety Code at a two-story, 45-unit apartment building at 12625 San Fernando Road that he owned until January.

Kardani also was placed on three years’ probation, said Deputy City Atty. Rubin Harsoyo, who prosecuted the case.

Early last year, city Housing Department inspectors found the apartment had worn and missing flooring, broken windows, damaged walls, ceilings, counters and cabinets; leaking faucets, chipped enamel on sinks and tubs, unsecured toilets, exposed electrical wiring and painted-over electrical outlets.

Kardani was ordered to make repairs, but 10 months later city housing inspectors found he had not complied, Harsoyo said.

“These landlords’ usual response is that they try to blame it on tenants or say they don’t have the money to make changes,” Harsoyo said. “In this case, the owner said he thought he was fixing the building. But the inspectors went down to verify and found he really hadn’t.”