While Los Angeles can certainly FEEL overstuffed at times, it has a surprising amount of empty space.

Three years ago, CommercialCafe ran a study on which cities in the USA have the most vacant land available. Los Angeles was the highest-ranked West Coast city, clocking in at number 6 “with 42,228 acres of vacant land across 33,747 lots and an average size of 1.25 acres”. (Scroll to the bottom here for methodology.)

The LA Tenants Union puts current numbers at 22 square miles of vacant lots, many of which are owned by investors or developers. LATU feels (as do I) that there is something intrinsically wrong with having so much empty space when so many Angelenos are losing their homes to the Ellis Act, redevelopment, harassment or negligence from bad property owners (yes, there are some bad ones out there), or just unavailability of housing they can afford.

In case anyone can’t view the flyer posted above, there will be an Empty Lot Block Party held at 329-335 South Rampart Boulevard this Saturday, October 24, from 1pm to 5pm. I’m told that the festivities will feature free food, live music, participatory art, resources for tenants, and even seed bombs to throw.

(For those of you who may be unfamiliar with seed bombs, they are safe to use - no explosives here. Seed bombs are little clay balls filled with wildflower seeds and compost, and they are generally used for adding vegetation in hard-to-reach areas…like a fenced-off lot.)

By the way, 329-335 South Rampart Boulevard has already been an empty lot for EIGHT YEARS. If you’d like to know more, LATU also sent a pamphlet.

329-335 South Rampart Boulevard, Rampart Village.

I used to be a property manager and I firmly believe the Ellis Act is harmful to renters (and unnecessary, since anyone wishing to exit the rental business has always had the option of selling their properties). My former boss, who had somehow never heard of the Ellis Act until I mentioned the Barrington Plaza case in passing, agrees with me on this.*

The LA Tenants Union reached out regarding a press conference next Wednesday, October 21:

As anti-eviction protests spread across the globe, Silverlake families demand that judge stop sheriff lockout, respect tenants’ right to a trial

WHAT: Press conference calling on newly-appointed Judge Cherisse Heidi A. Cleofe to grant motion for a new trial before the sheriffs lock out two families from their homes of 30 years, and to invite the public to join the fight against Ellis Act evictions in Los Angeles

WHO: Latino families organized as the North Occidental Tenants Association; elders from the LATU Anti-Ellis Comité, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez

WHERE: Steps in front of Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill Street

WHEN: Wednesday, October 21st 10am

ABOUT: On September 3rd, the newly-appointed Judge Cherisse Heidi A. Cleofe ruled to evict two long-time Silverlake families from their homes of 30+ years. Despite substantial evidence that the landlord committed fraud to flip the property; physically assaulted a tenant; and seriously violated various local ordinances, Cleofe ruled to evict the tenants without a jury trial, leaving them to fight a looming sheriff lockout. With nowhere else to go, tenants are pursuing every option to remain in their homes, and have filed a motion for Cleofe to grant a new trial.

Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman has written directly to Cleofe to urge her to grant the tenants a trial. “It is my hope that Judge Cleofe grants a jury trial for the eviction proceeding she is presiding over so that impacted tenants can make their case,” she told Calo News. “While the properties on North Occidental are not located in my district, they exhibit the current challenges with the structure of the Ellis Act.” In 2023, City Council approved Raman’s motion to prevent “bad faith” evictions under the Ellis Act, but the LA Housing Department has since refused to adopt City Council’s directives.

[Ed. note: Is anyone surprised by LAHD’s bald-faced contempt for renters? I know I’m not.]

In response, disabled, elderly, and immigrant tenants–many of whom have fought and won against up to 5 consecutive evictions–have formed the Comité Anti-Ellis, which has repeatedly protested the LA Housing Department for their inaction. In a time of rising rents and growing homelessness rates, LAHD has approved the destruction of over 32,000 rent control homes by the Ellis Act.

Outrage over the violence of evictions has grown over the last month, since the forced removal and tragic death of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal sparked international protests and triggered early elections in Spain. Organizers from the Madrid Tenants Union, who have led protests and are now organizing a General Strike, visited the LA Tenants Union this past summer and spent every Tuesday volunteering at North Occidental’s neighborhood food distribution, which has fed dozens of immigrant families each week since the ICE raids began in June 2025. If Judge Cleofe refuses to grant the tenants their right to a jury trial, families across the neighborhood will feel the effects.

The Los Angeles Tenants Union (est. 2015) is the largest autonomous tenant union in the country, composed of a diverse group of residents from neighborhoods across the city who come together to fight against displacement, eviction, and social cleansing, and demand the human right to housing for all.

This event will include Spanish & English speakers. Interpretation will be provided. Interviews available.

Media contact: Esteban Arellano, (720) 273-9073, echoparkrep@latenantsunion.org

GoFundMe

*We evicted ONE tenant during my tenure, but it was strictly for cause. He was loud and disruptive, harassed a neighbor, and trashed the unit before he left.

For over two years now, I’ve been worrying about the onslaught of destruction against older housing stock in North Hollywood. Now I’m worried that it’s spreading to Reseda.

7032 Baird Avenue was a rather nice-looking 1947 traditional house. With three bedrooms and a detached garage converted to an ADU (illegally at first, but a permit was obtained shortly), it had enough space to house parents, kids, and an aging grandparent or two.

The house last sold in 2015, and there are no permit applications on file other than the ADU conversion. The initial reports of the building being abandoned and unsecured date back to June.

Early this morning, the house burned. LAFD noted that it was the site of a previous fire. The house is damaged enough that LADBS has been notified; there’s a good chance it’s doomed.

Interestingly, I couldn’t find a record of an earlier fire at 7032 Baird (no shade to LAFD, but they do not always get the address right). I did find an alert for a fire two days ago in the detached garage of 7034 Baird - the house next door. LAFD noted “During the operations, fire companies are reporting explosions on the property, possibly propane tanks exposed to the fire.”

I’ll repeat that for emphasis: there were reported EXPLOSIONS AT 7034 BAIRD, possibly from PROPANE TANKS.

7034 Baird has its own “abandoned building” complaints in ZIMAS, with the first dating to July. But it also has something 7032 doesn’t: redevelopment plans.

Permits to demolish 7034 and its garage were sought earlier this year, but had not been issued. One month ago, Hoodline reported on a developer’s plan to replace 7034 through 7046 with a 75-unit building (with 12 units restricted for very-low-income renters).

Is this demolition by neglect? Only the developer knows for sure.

I’ll say this, though: as a former property manager, I would be VERY wary of any developer or owner who doesn’t adequately secure their properties, even if the intention is to redevelop.

No one deserves to live next to a blighted fire hazard. It’s not tolerated in wealthier neighborhoods like Studio City, and it’s not okay in Reseda, either.

Let’s not forget that any of these “unwanted” homes could have been offered up to fire survivors and moved instead of falling into disrepair. What a waste.

7032 Baird Avenue, Reseda.

A century ago, bungalow courts proliferated in Los Angeles, and for good reason.

Bungalow courts fit multiple households onto one (or two) lots, often with shared green space, but tend to offer a greater degree of privacy and quiet than most apartments will ever offer. Historically, they’ve been an important source of existing affordable housing (some friends of mine made a map three years ago).

My grandmother had a friend I’ll call Mary (not her real name). Mary had a steady job, but (like many of us) didn’t make enough money to buy a house. She lived in the closest thing to a house that she could afford: a bungalow court.

In the 1970s, Mary was displaced when a developer decided her home should become a big apartment complex. She found another bungalow court. Then another developer came along and she lost her new home. This happened over and over, in several bungalow courts.

Surviving bungalow courts are still in danger today. Not everyone respects the quality of life that they offer.

525 South Union Avenue caught fire on the 26th. The fire began outside, but spread.

When I looked up the address in Google Street View and saw what appeared to be three front windows (or possibly two windows and a door) that have been filled in and stuccoed over, it prompted me to check for permits. (The only Street View images are from 2022, so the filled-in windows are not a recent alteration.)

(Note: the court does have a tall, sturdy-looking metal gate that would likely deter all but the most determined miscreants, but that is likely because Westlake is not the safest neighborhood.)

Back in 2021, there was a plan to build a 44-unit, 100 percent affordable TOC building.

Demolition permits were applied for (building 1 here, building 2 here).

There has been no progress on this since November 2022. ALWAYS take developer promises with a massive grain of salt, kids!

The bungalow court is scorched, but still standing. Hopefully this isn’t the end; it could still be repaired.

525 South Union Avenue, Westlake.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUCEMENT: If you own ANY real estate at all, PLEASE call an estate lawyer if you haven't already. Make a plan that keeps your loved ones and your property out of probate court. More on that in a minute.

Next week’s Board of Building and Safety commissioners will address two properties that have been on the abatement list for years: a house in Studio City and a pair of duplexes in West Adams.

3947 Fredonia Drive is a sweet little Spanish-style house, built into a hillside south of Ventura Boulevard in 1929. If you are familiar with the southern Valley, you know that properties south of the Boulevard are highly desirable to Valley buyers.

The house last changed hands in 2014, and according to the BBSC, it’s owned by an investor. There are eleven “ABANDONED OR VACANT BUILDING LEFT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC” complaints on file, with the first dated May 22, 2019. It was added to the abate list in 2021.

Naturally, I checked for permits. There are apparently no plans to demolish or redevelop, but there are pending applications to “Convert (e) garage to ADU and 2nd story. New parking area with retaining walls” and to replace drywall.

In an interesting side note, the first code violation on file for the house was for converting the garage to a dwelling (presumably without the proper permits and procedures), way back in 2003.

Now, I certainly don’t object to converting the garage to an ADU (especially since new parking will be added). But it is still important to secure an empty property thoroughly.

The BBSC doesn’t put problem properties on its agenda for their own amusement - by the time a property gets to the agenda, it’s in rough shape.

Next up is 4200-4206 West 28th Street, twin 1920 Spanish-style duplexes in West Adams. LADBS has asked the BBSC to rule that the property “constitutes a public nuisance due to the property having been repeatedly breached and continuously maintained in an unsecured condition, thereby facilitating unauthorized entry and occupancy.”

I found multiple permits for repairs, all expired - plumbing, electrical, roofing, windows, even removing and rebuilding an existing porch. The property was abated a whopping 19 years ago in 2007, and LADBS records reveal there was a 2007 department order for compliance.

What gives?

Currently, probate hell seems to be the issue.

I looked up the trust that owns the property. There’s an open probate case in the court system. Probate cases can drag on for YEARS, and lawyers’ fees can suck an heir’s bank accounts dry (which can limit their ability to make repairs).

More importantly, the family’s hands are likely tied while the case slowly makes its way through the courts (IANAL). They may not be able to sell, either.

Longtime readers may recall a house in Gramercy Park that wound up in probate hell and on the BBSC’s shortlist. Please, please, please have a plan in place for any real estate that you own.

3947 Fredonia Drive, Studio City.

4200-4206 West 28th Street, West Adams.

A little over three years ago, I dug into the demolition of 570 North Normandie Avenue, which burned after just two months of being left empty and improperly secured (case in point: in the photo above, you can clearly see the wide-open gate with a posted demolition notice).

On the three-year anniversary of the fire, prompted by a comment from a fellow Redditor, I dug back into the fire.

The Redditor commented:

You should look into 570 N Normandie - the developer who bought it left it open intentionally, resulting in a crazy squatting situation. The 1920’s house was full of stuff from the previous tenants and there were people in and out 24/7 taking everything. The developer refused to secure the property.

It burned down shortly after - I talked to the mail man who called in the fire and he said he saw people pull up and light it on fire.

His description of those people matched two guys I had met days before who showed up and ran German shepherds through the building to clear it of squatters.

So, I sent a CPRA request to LAFD.

I’m screenshotting the report below. In case anyone can’t view the image, it lists the cause of ignition as “Undetermined after investigation” and the heat source as “other”.

Listing the cause as “undetermined” seemed rather odd, given that the postal worker who called in the fire claimed to have seen it being set.

I requested audio and a transcript of the 911 call, hoping to confirm that the witness had indeed reported the suspected arsonists, knowing the records might be unavailable. Many law enforcement agencies don’t keep recordings of 911 calls for very long.

Speaking of law enforcement, did you know that they can opt out of providing records?

Now, I can understand why they might do that. I haven’t forgotten that San Francisco’s then-Mayor, Dianne Feinstein, foolishly revealed key evidence in the Night Stalker case to the public, which severely hampered the investigation and probably lengthened Richard Ramirez’s horrific crime spree.

Anyway, the LAPD invoked law enforcement privilege, so I can’t confirm the content of the 911 call.

I sent a follow-up email to LAFD, mentioning the 911 call and asking if it was ever investigated as arson. This is the response I received:

Hello,

If you have any evidence that arson was committed, please email us and we will forward it to the arson department for further investigation.

Best regards,

LAFD

And before anyone suggests that the city might still be looking into the fire…California has a statute of limitations on arson and most other felonies. (Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.)

It’s three years.

That’s right - the statute of limitations for ARSON, which is a very dangerous and highly destructive FELONY, is typically only three years.

Since the clock ran out in July, I’m not so sure that anyone would be convicted of anything if evidence turned up now. But if anyone out there does have evidence, please reach out to LAFD just in case.

570 North Normandie Avenue, East Hollywood.

The billion-dollar Metropolis mixed-use/condo development, which takes up a full city block bordered by Francisco Street, 8th Street, James M. Wood Boulevard, and the 110, has long been rumored to be empty, or at least largely so.

Kim cross-referenced property records with United States Postal Service data and determined that of the 822 condo residences, 281 are still owned by the developer, China-based Greenland USA.

I am hard to impress. This is truly remarkable work that puts quite a few of LA’s louder, flashier media outlets to shame (naming no names here, but if you’ve been paying attention, you already know).

Anyway, if the embedded video below isn’t working, you can always click here.

800 block of Francisco Street, DTLA.

Remember 359 Patton Street, the 1885 cottage that recently caught fire?

359 and its neighbor 353/351 have been neglected for some time (photos in the linked post bear me out on that). “Scout” provided these updated pictures; note the “Notice of Demolition” sign.

Another neighbor commented on the previous post:

In case the image isn’t loading, the text says “There was another fire next door on his other property last week. The owner is also is a member of the echo park neighborhood council.”

I won’t be doxxing anyone today, but I have serious questions about how someone who doesn’t take care of their properties could even theoretically get to be on a neighborhood council. Especially in Echo Park, one of the city’s oldest existing neighborhoods, when it’s two Victorian-era properties being allowed to fall into such appalling disrepair. Why own property in a historic neighborhood if you don’t respect the historic charm that makes it unique and special?

Pride of ownership is dead in Los Angeles, along with accountability and common sense. Before the fire damage, these buildings could have been moved and restored. Heck, I would have taken them in a heartbeat if I owned vacant land.

Demo permits are still pending. For 359, there’s a note: “DEMO EXISITNG SFD. **Comply with Department Order effective date 06/16/2026. **” (The spelling error is theirs, obviously.) June 16 is two days after the original post, and eight days after the fire. I’m guessing LADBS finally had to say something to the owner.

I still have not seen any evidence of a replacement project, let alone an approved one.

It gets worse: neighboring 363 Patton Street had a heavy fire on July 31. It, too, burned on June 8 - and again on June 17.

No one should have to live next to this. Period.

359 Patton Street, Echo Park.

If you don’t want to live next to urban blight and have a generous housing budget, the neighborhoods closest to Griffith Park are a good bet. Hollywoodland, Hollywood Dell, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Franklin Hills, and Atwater Village have relatively few abated or abandoned buildings.

However, some exist. This one is across the street from the Philosophical Research Society, if you can believe it.

A neighbor reached out about this 1960 dingbat apartment building, telling me the following:

I’ve watched this building slowly fall apart over the last few years. I think there’s structural issues that the city flagged and it seems to be fated for a demo by neglect situation. There’s been demo notices on the breeze blocks for at least a year. I wondered why there wasn’t any chainlink around it so I snooped around and it seems there’s still one tenant there. All the other units boarded up but very clearly people have come and gone— broken glass etc.

Well, not fencing off the building makes sense if there is still a tenant in place, but if glass is getting broken, that’s still a security concern and a potential squatter/fire risk. I hope the remaining tenant is safe.

The neighbor is correct: demolition permits have been pending since 2024 (none have been issued yet).

There are code complaints, too:

10/25/21 HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS

1/6/22 BUILDINGS IN GENERAL NEED OF REPAIR

9/11/25 ABANDONED OR VACANT BUILDING LEFT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

And as you might expect, all of them were referred to LAHD and closed. (Does LAHD even do anything around here?)

I couldn’t tell you what the owner’s long-term plan is (besides “tear it down”), since there doesn’t seem to be a replacement project planned for the site. I do know that this is a good location in a nice neighborhood, and it would not be difficult to flip the lot to a builder or investor.

Having said that…my friends at Esotouric discovered that LADBS’ building-permit feed stopped updating on the 18th, meaning permits might be issued with no public record until and unless the feed is fixed.

Transparency is the law. Being able to find out what’s going on is your right.

Still…who is going to compel LADBS to fix the feed? Who even has the authority to do that? Must Angelenos file a massive class-action suit to get any satisfaction when city departments don’t do their jobs?

3346-3350 Griffith Park Boulevard, Los Feliz.

On this day three years ago, I delved into the demolition by neglect of 570 North Normandie Avenue, which burned after just two months of being left vacant and unsecured.

As it turns out, the story gets even worse.

City Attorney candidate John McKinney called out the preventable fire at 509 North St. Andrews Place in a recent video. In a related Reddit thread, Redditor u/flyman241 posted the following:

You should look into 570 N Normandie - the developer who bought it left it open intentionally, resulting in a crazy squatting situation. The 1920’s house was full of stuff from the previous tenants and there were people in and out 24/7 taking everything. The developer refused to secure the property.

It burned down shortly after - I talked to the mail man who called in the fire and he said he saw people pull up and light it on fire.

His description of those people matched two guys I had met days before who showed up and ran German shepherds through the building to clear it of squatters.

(Bolding and spacing are mine.)

I’ll be following up with LAFD to see if this was ever investigated as an arson case.

I’m not holding my breath, of course.

570 North Normandie Avenue, East Hollywood.

Join the discussion!

Over a year ago, the elegant El Patio apartment building at 114 South New Hampshire Avenue began to accumulate code enforcement complaints. Three months ago, it had the first of three fires.

There’s no permit application on file for a replacement project, but in my experience, when it looks and smells like demolition by neglect, it usually is.

According to neighbor @des_em:

I live one block from this, and it's been such a nightmare for the neighborhood. They didn't secure the building initially, so it quickly became a hub for gang activity. There's been 3 different fires of varying size and break-ins almost every night. Clearly a demolition by neglect situation, and I feel so bad for the folks who live next door to it because it's become a hazard to that entire area.

I have also wondered what the justification for emptying the building was. If you find out, I would love to know!

Well, waiting to flip to an investor is always a possibility in Los Angeles.

@des_em adds:

The entire system is such a hellish bureaucracy. I’ve reported the building multiple times to multiple departments, and everyone just passes the buck or ignores me. I was already going to start pressing Heather Hutt’s office to fix our damn street lights, so I’ll just add this to my list of grievances.

The building is fenced now, but that doesn’t magically reverse the fire damage or the trouble it’s caused for the neighbors (housed and not).

Rampart Village isn’t a trendy or cool neighborhood, and it does border beautiful-but-troubled Westlake, but it’s also surrounded by East Hollywood, Koreatown, Silver Lake, and a possibly-gentrifying (God, I hope not) Historic Filipinotown. There may very well come a day when it’s the new Echo Park.

If you are dealing with a situation like this in your neighborhood and complaints are going nowhere, please get in touch with your council office planning and housing deputies and demand answers. Can’t hurt, might help.

Contacting the media is also an option. Local officials who tolerate this recklessness and fail to help their constituents deserve to be called out on the carpet and publicly shamed.

I said it three months ago and I’ll say it until I’m hoarse: NO ONE DESERVES THIS.

114 South New Hampshire Avenue, Rampart Village.

The intersection of Carpenter Avenue and Moorpark Street is in Studio City, but it’s close enough to North Hollywood that I wasn’t terribly surprised to see an alert about a vacant house catching on fire.

Regarding why it’s empty, there isn’t much to see here. Permit filings show that whoever owns it intends to replace the existing one-story house with a two-story house, pool, and detached ADU.

A few things are weird here, though.

First, while a demolition notice was posted in the front yard at least as far back as October (per Street View), I couldn’t find any evidence of a demolition permit being issued. (Great, now I’ve got to make a public records request for demo permits, too. More on that in a minute.)

Second, the property doesn’t seem to have been fenced off. Studio City is a nice neighborhood, but that doesn’t magically make it immune to trespassers, squatters, or arsonists.

Third, I hit a wall trying to look up property data in ZIMAS, which thinks 4408 Carpenter Avenue doesn’t exist (it does).

I was able to pull data via a workaround taught to me by Mike Callahan (thanks again, Mike). Strangely, ZIMAS shows NO address or ZIP code (that will come as a surprise to the Postal Service) and NO data on the existing house (which isn’t gone YET).

I’ve looked up many a parcel that used to have a building on it, and the parcel data is always there even if the building is gone. Not this time.

Can we just talk about the fact that LA’s public records access needs work? This isn’t the first time ZIMAS has had incorrect or missing data, and recently I had to resort to requesting data from the city’s IT department because Eunisses’ office couldn’t be bothered to reply (AGAIN). (Read about my headache-inducing CPRA request from 2024 - still unfulfilled! - here.)

Anyway, fires suck. If you are the owner of 4408 Carpenter Avenue, please consider fencing off the existing house before squatters or arsonists create a problem for your neighbors (and believe me, they will - more than half of this blog is about preventable fires).

4408 Carpenter Avenue, Studio City.

Three early-20th-century houses stand empty on East 22nd Street in Central-Alameda. They’re fenced off and slated for demolition, but are in good enough repair to be moved elsewhere.

Curiously, there isn’t a record of the required notice to Councilman Curren Price (who is facing felony corruption charges, but we’ll get into that another time).

There isn’t a demolition permit application on file for 1559.

There IS a pending application for 1563, along with an application to build a 7-story project across seven lots. Well, that would explain the empty houses.

It’s the same story for 1567, and 1575 has far more permit detail (granted, 1575 has been an empty lot since at least 2008).

Anyway, the houses very nearly burned down two days ago when a trash fire reached 1559’s roof. LAFD knocked the fire down in 18 minutes, saving the structure - for now.

Moving these good and useful homes would clear the lots for the 7-story complex without wasting them. Why leave them to burn?

If you are the owner of these houses, PLEASE contact Omgivning. Somebody in Altadena would be thrilled and grateful to receive one.

1559-1567 East 22nd Street, Central-Alameda.

Six months ago, I wondered why an incident that received an LAFD response wasn’t on LAFD’s Alerts page. Firefighters were on the scene, and there were FOUR videos posted to Citizen.

I still don’t know why it wasn’t on the Alerts page. I do know that three days ago, the boarded-up yellow houses at 1517 and 1523 8th Street caught on fire again (thanks again, Father Dylan). It made the Alerts page this time, but with an incorrect house number that doesn’t even exist.

ZIMAS shows the houses last changed hands in 2019. Could this be real estate speculation?

Westlake, formerly the nicest neighborhood in the city, breaks my heart on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to be this way - but this is how things are when owners are allowed to neglect their properties and the city doesn’t care enough to enforce its own laws.

1517-1523 W. 8th St., Westlake.

LAFD and various news outlets (that I will NOT be linking to) reported a carport fire at 214 Benton Way.

All of them had the wrong address.

There is a 214 Benton Way, but it’s part of a multifamily complex that has a couple of small garages out in front.

A neighbor reached out with photos. The fire took place at THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR, 206 Benton Way.

It’s a big, sunny yellow, two-story house, now boarded up. You can’t miss it.

In sharp contrast to my usual content, this doesn’t appear to be a typical case of “neglected/vacant house catches on fire, probably from squatters”. The few code complaints on file are nearly a decade old, the house wasn’t listed for sale and had no permits on file, and the neighbor reports recently seeing a family living inside the house (hope they’re okay). Street View photos (which are admittedly a bit dated) show what appears to be a well-maintained house.

206 Benton Way doesn’t have a garage. There isn’t even a driveway. The house was built in 1907, when few Angelenos had cars, and it’s perched well above street level. The house is accessed by a (gated) staircase. Satellite photos do show some sort of outbuilding (back house? Storage shed? Laundry room?) behind the house, but with no driveway and no alley, you’d have to lift a car in and out with a crane, so I doubt that the building in question is a garage.

Now, I can understand LAFD getting the occasional address or building type wrong - they’re busy putting out fires and saving lives (ESPECIALLY in Westlake). The occasional detail may get muddled.

News outlets, however? They are supposed to know better. And the sad fact of the matter is that a lot of local news sites don’t seem to do much, if ANY, fact-checking.

We deserve better media outlets. Period.

206 Benton Way, Westlake.

“Scout” lives in Echo Park/Filipinotown and helps out around the community.

Scout reached out with news of another fire - and photos indicating a pattern of neglect at the property in question. (Thanks, Scout.)

wanted to let you know about yet another fire , 359 N Patton St. Both that address and the yellow/white house next to it, 353/351 are owned by the same person . Lots of history I can share with this, stuff I've learned from neighbors....short version is this....I reported to LADBS as a courtesy to an elder on 6/8....it burned on 6/8 from a squatter . The owner is a holy terror apparently and has been allowed to leave unsecured properties and squatters moved in. Neighbors have seen the young woman recently and saw her leaving before the fire. The owner used to have a neighbor that he had an agreement with....caretake the properties and he stayed rent free. He kept the properties secure, cleaned and free of squatters. Owner and he had an argument, he was removed by police. I've emailed CD1 and asked for pushing this through to at least clean and secure for the neighbors benefit. Attaching a few photos for you.

[Ed. note: Well, at least the CD1 offices are willing to respond to SOMEBODY.]

I looked into building records and found a pending demolition permit application from 2023. Code complaints date back to 2008, but really ramped up in 2021.

Since the same person owns 351 and 353 as well, I looked those up and wasn’t surprised to see pending demolition permit applications from 2023 and 2024. There are similar code complains from 2020 and 2024, but not nearly as many as at number 359.

One application includes the words “DEMO SFR AND ALSO DEMO DETACHED SINGLE GARAGE TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING.” There isn’t any evidence of an approved replacement project for the site in ZIMAS, and experience has taught me to be wary of developer promises.

It astounds me - and disgusts me - that there are people who feel entitled to let their properties fall into the kind of disrepair that negatively impacts the neighbors. It is one thing to put off fixing a squeaky floorboard because you don’t have time to deal with it. It is another to let trash pile up and leave a house improperly secured, even if you do intend to demolish what’s there now.

Nobody - I repeat, NOBODY - deserves to live next to a blighted property. Period.

359 Patton Street, Echo Park.

P.S. 359 was built in 1885. 353/351 dated to 1893. While they weren’t as fancy as the lost mansions of Bunker Hill, somebody who appreciates older homes could still have taken them off the owner’s hands, moved them, and restored them. But nooooo….

In theory, the Los Angeles Housing Department is responsible for “[solving] unmet housing needs…[balancing] services that regulate and assist both landlords and tenants in the rental housing market…administering housing policy and leading programs that produce and safeguard affordable rental housing…guided by a belief that all Angelenos should have equitable access to housing and to the opportunities that a safe, stable home can deliver.” That’s from LAHD’s own website.

In practice, however, that is NOT what’s happening.

Longtime readers may recall that LAHD was complicit in how bad the Lourine Court situation became (the above photo is of one of the fires at the complex). The Department’s General Manager, Ann Sewill, left in 2024, but unfortunately the Department does not seem to have improved.

I know I don’t need to tell my readers that Controller Kenneth Mejia’s latest transparency project lists the city’s top 100 problem rental properties, and I’m sure I don’t need to tell Eastside residents that Wyvernwood ranks high on the list.

When Wyvernwood was built in 1939, it was based on “Garden City Movement” principles that gave renters fresh air, sunlight, and open space. Garden complexes were meant to be a healthy, community-oriented alternative to filthy, overcrowded slums. However, modern-day Wyvernwood renters are dealing with a landlord that has racked up a whopping 225 complaints and a Housing Department that is actively failing to help them.

This piece from the Boyle Heights Beat made my blood boil. Here are a few excerpts:

Once inside, protesters waited about 40 minutes to meet with a housing department staff member to discuss the closure of “hundreds of complaints” from Wyvernwood residents. Advocates said they were ready to present rental contracts and paperwork they believe show reductions of services at the apartment complex.

An employee never came out to meet them.

Wow, cowardly AND horribly unprofessional!

…Wyvernwood residents deal with moldy roofs, faulty repairs, and a lack of affordable parking spaces that have been privatized.

Please watch this CBS news clip on the unsustainable parking problems in Boyle Heights BEFORE commenting on the parking situation. Not everyone has the luxury of going carless.

The complaints include allegations of health code violations, failure to make repairs, insurance fraud, reduction of services and a proposed online-only payment system that would disadvantage aging tenants without bank accounts.

I would like to remind everyone that a lot of those online payment systems charge processing fees. Also, I’m not sure how good the internet connectivity situation is at Wyvernwood, but I’d guess that when it stops working, it probably doesn’t get fixed promptly (I used to live in a neighborhood that was not a priority to the only available internet service provider, trust me on that). That could create a real problem if the internet goes out right before the rent is due.

Oh, and California Civil Code 1947.3. (a) states: (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), a landlord or a landlord's agent shall allow a tenant to pay rent and deposit of security by at least one form of payment that is neither cash nor electronic funds transfer. (Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.)

Boy, all these complaints and NO accountability? What is LAHD even doing with all of this information? What are they doing with Angelenos’ hard-earned tax dollars?