What do a lion, elephant, thumping music and booze have in common? They’re all on the verge of being banned in the glitzy area above the Sunset Strip known as the Hollywood Hills.
In what could be the most aggressive example of cops bringing down the house, City Attorney Mike Feuer charged two properties in the Hollywood Hills with multiple misdemeanors on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Feuer filed criminal complaints against the owner of 7800 Electra Drive and the property manager at 2600 La Cuesta Drive for helping maintain a public nuisance.
Kamran Younai — the owner of 7800 Electra — has received several cease and desist letters over the years. Neighbors gathered evidence of debauchery to facilitate the criminal charge. Younai is being charged with 10 counts of misdemeanors and could face up to eight years in jail and $16,000 in fines. The property manager at 2600 La Cuesta, Rose Garcia, faces 10 misdemeanors and could see three years in jails, as well as $7,000 in fines. Both are scheduled to be appear before court on Oct. 6.
The charges come amid a growing concern among Hollywood Hills residents that homes in the area are being rented out for the sole reason of raging. Airbnb’s prominence has not helped, they say.
Last year, City Council unanimously approved a motion by council member David Ryu demanding the party be stopped. Ryu’s motion instructed the City Attorney and the LAPD to draft an ordinance to address party houses that includes escalating fines for successive violations for both hosts and property owners; the requirement that a public notice be posted on party houses to “notify the neighborhood” that it is under violation; and a ban on using services like Airbnb during a violation period.
Ryu’s district was home to one the most raucous shindigs in the area, where an unpermitted lion and elephant were spotted at Danny Fitzgerald’s notorious party palace. [LAT] – Natalie Hoberman