Residents to Fight Eviction Notices

About 30 tenants at a rundown apartment complex in Anaheim plan to fight eviction notices from their landlord, who is serving a 60-day home detainment sentence at the complex for repeatedly failing to make improvements.

Some of the tenants contend they are being kicked out by landlord Sam Menlo in retaliation for their complaints to city code enforcement officials. Menlo has a long history of public health and building code violations throughout Southern California, but until recently court action against him had been limited to fines and orders to fix up his places.

In late October, he began serving a stiffer sentence: 60 days living in one of the 368 units at Ridgewood Gardens on North Temple Street. He is allowed to leave the premises to observe Sabbath, but he spent Thanksgiving at the complex, far from his six-bedroom, 8,500-square-foot home near the Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles.

With the help of the Fair Housing Council of Orange County, residents have formed an association and signed a petition asking Menlo to reconsider the notices.

“There is major, major substandard housing out there,” said Joe Caux, landlord-tenant division manager of the Fair Housing Council. “This is grossly unfair. After paying all this money all this time for living in substandard conditions, now they’re being given 30-day eviction notices and told to move.”

Menlo had not responded yesterday to the petition. He could not be reached for comment, and his attorney did not return several calls seeking comment. The Ridgewood Gardens apartment manager also could not be reached.

Many of the tenants have lived in Ridgewood Gardens for several years, watching the apartment complex slowly deteriorate. Several said they live with leaky plumbing, rats and cockroaches.

“I would like for the repairs to be done and to leave the tenants where they’re at,” said Lupe Rodriguez, who is supposed to leave her apartment today, according to her eviction notice. “All we were asking was for repairs. I don’t think it’s too much to ask that we have a decent place to live.”

The tenants began receiving eviction notices last month; another round was sent last week.

Though she has been looking for a new place to live, Rodriguez said she has been unsuccessful. She and other tenants plan to force Menlo to take them to court for eviction proceedings unless they can reach a compromise.

“The industry is telling us that 98% of units are occupied,” Caux said. “It’s very difficult to find a place, particularly if you’re at the low-income end of the economic ladder. There’s not much out there for these people.” Under California law, Menlo does not have to provide a reason for evicting tenants on month-to-month lease agreements. However, tenants are protected from retaliation under the state civil code.

Reason for Eviction Remains Unclear

Menlo has not said why he is taking the action, but tenants have been told through his apartment manager that it is because of extensive renovation plans. Some, including Juan Lopez, accused management of being selective about who is evicted. They also fear being evicted, then forced to reapply for renovated apartments, with higher rents and new security deposits.

Cesar Covarrubias, special programs coordinator for the Fair Housing Council, said the tenants should be allowed to move into vacant, recently renovated units. Or they should be given financial compensation for the rent they paid despite the substandard conditions.

“We are contesting every single case,” Covarrubias said.

As part of the sentence, Orange County Superior Court Judge Michael Hayes also ordered Menlo to refurbish one building per month at the apartment complex. If he violates the court’s conditions, he could serve 18 months in jail.

Hayes met last week with Menlo’s attorney and Anaheim Deputy City Atty. Michael Burke to discuss Menlo’s progress. City code officials inspected the first building and found that Menlo had met minimum standards.

“He did what he needed to do to comply with the law,” Burke said. “Everything had been fixed up to the satisfaction of the code enforcement officer. That does not necessarily mean it was a high-quality rehabilitation. The impression I get is that it was an adequate, although economical, rehab.”

Despite the improvements, Burke filed a petition with the court, alleging that Menlo has violated another term of his probation by not keeping vacant apartments secure. A hearing on that matter will be Dec. 27.