Hayden Moves Into Main House in Response to Residency Dispute

City Council candidate Tom Hayden has moved from a Westwood guest house into the main house on the same property after questions were raised about his legal residency.

Hayden had said he had moved from his Brentwood home into a guest house in the backyard of campaign coordinator Sandy Brown to establish residency in the 5th Los Angeles City Council District so he could compete in the April 10 election.

That move drew charges of carpetbagging from other candidates.

A neighbor of Brown then filed a formal complaint with the city Building and Safety Department, alleging Hayden’s rental of the guest house for $1,000 a month violated zoning codes limiting the use of such structures to unpaid, temporary stays by guests of the main residence.

When inspectors arrived at Brown’s property on Thursday, they found a guest house with no signs of permanent occupancy, according to Dave Keim, an administrator for the department.

“We didn’t find any indication that anyone was living there full time,” Keim said Friday in announcing no violation was found. “There were no clothes in the closet, no kitchen with cooking materials, no bed.”

Hayden, a former state senator, has moved again. He decided to move into a room in Brown’s main house after city building officials launched their inquiry.

“About the time the building inspectors contacted Sandy and said there might be a problem, Tom moved his bed and stuff into the main house,” said Parke Skelton, a campaign consultant for Hayden.

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Fred Woocher, an attorney for Hayden, said on Thursday that once his client established his legal residency at Brown’s Weyburn Avenue property, the residency is not affected by Hayden’s decision to move from one portion of the property to another.

Even so, other candidates in the race questioned Hayden’s mobility.

“He doesn’t sleep there,” said Steve Saltzman. “Everybody knows it. It’s a joke. He doesn’t have legal residency.”

Candidate Joe Connolly said many candidates have driven by Brown’s home every night and have not seen evidence that Hayden is sleeping there.