South Park Fires in Nuisance Buildings
Fire Department ‘Mops Up’ after Morrison Hotel Fire
Questions must be asked after a spectacular fire in the unoccupied Morrison Hotel on Hope near Pico several weeks ago and a subsequent fire in adjacent buildings to the Morrison Hotel a week later.
Firefighters evacuated over 20 squatters from the Morrison Hotel fire caused from a fire set to ward off the chill. Firefighters were called to extinguish another large fire in another unoccupied building adjoining the gutted Morrison Hotel a week later. No cause has been disclosed, but it’s possible it too was caused by squatters’ illegal occupancy. Residents complained and warned about the illegal occupancies for months, but no action was taken to secure the buildings.
We must find a solution to this potentially tragic issue. We must ask: Who is responsible for solving this mess?
The Building Owner – ultimate responsibility rests with the legal owners of the derelict buildings. The law is quite clear on this issue. Who is going to enforce the law?
The Social District BID - While the SPBID has no jurisdiction over private property and cannot enforce existing ordinances regarding squatting, the BID, through its Clean and Safe initiative, should be vigilant in identifying those structures and be pro-active with the City of Los Angeles to ensure enforcement of the existing Vacant Building Ordinance. No one can turn a blind eye to this issue.
The City of Los Angeles –The LA Vacant Building Ordinance addresses abandoned or derelict buildings that are not properly secured and boarded up as a Public Nuisance. The enforcement agency is the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) which is tasked with addressing public safety issues associated with abandoned buildings -- trespassing, vandalism, and fire hazards.
The City could take over the titles of nuisance properties through LAMC 91.8905.3, but practically speaking, taking title to properties and follow-through with corrections is problematic. There are neither the staff nor the financing nor the political pressure to carry out enforcement of the ordinance. Plus, there is the sheer magnitude of LA’s civic problems vying for attention which has been acerbated by the recent wildfires.
What efforts can be made to solve this problem?
The only way to get action on an issue from an overwhelmed city government is to loudly and vociferously show up at the door with pitchforks (figuratively, of course). We need to band together with a powerful voice and bring this problem to the city’s attention, letting the city know that we want to move a solution to the near the top of the list.
Will you take a few minutes to make your voice known? Kindly address a short email to the following parties. Make them aware that you want a solution to the problem of nuisance derelict and abandoned buildings – now. Maybe 500 or so emails will get their attention. I welcome your comments and suggestions. Please also copy John Nilsson – South Park Neighborhood Association dtlanow@gmail.com when you send your emails.
Send emails to:
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado
Councilmember.jurado@lacity.com
DLANC (Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council)
Ms. Kristina Kline, City of Los Angeles
A sample message:
Dear (fill-in-the-blank),
I am a resident of the South Park neighborhood in Council District 14. As you are aware, there was a recent fire at the Morrison Hotel on Hope Street and a subsequent fire a week later in most of the remaining derelict buildings on the same block. The Morrison fire was evidently caused by individuals illegally occupying the structure. There could be disasterous results unless we find a solution to this problem.
I urge you to make it a priority to actively enforce the provisions of city ordinance LAMC 91.8905.3 to ensure that the existence of non-compliant derelict buildings that threaten our South Park neighborhood comes to an end. Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
By John Nilsson