Laurel Canyon Half-Constructed Homes Ordered for Demolition

The Los Angeles City Attorney is bringing the hammer down on illegal homes in Laurel Canyon.

A plea deal with city prosecutors put an end to a decades-long saga over five partially built homes in the mountainous enclave, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto’s office said this week.

The plea agreement with Shahram and Ester Ghalili stems from the abandoned hilltop properties on Woodstock Road.

In 2023, the city attorney’s office filed 25 counts against the Ghalilis over their five unfinished three-story single-family homes in Laurel Canyon. The couple bought the property in 2020 in an attempt to revive plans pursued by private developers for decades to build homes at the site.

The development started as a large project that was eventually shut down by the City in 2002. The following year, the city ordered the homes to be demolished. Instead, they remained in the hands of multiple developers who weren’t able to further develop the project.

Neighbors reported increased construction activity at the homes after the Ghalilis took ownership, according to the city attorney’s office. City officials demanded the owners to comply with the demolition order and clean up the properties.

“For far too many years, the Laurel Canyon community has dealt with these dangerous, dilapidated homes that were ordered to be taken down more than two decades ago,” Feldstein Soto said. “We took action to end this problem once and for all.”

Shahram Ghalili pleaded no contest last month to five counts of failing to comply with lawful orders issued by the Department of Building and Safety. He was placed on formal diversion for one year and is required to demolish all five homes by Aug. 7 of next year, in addition to paying $5,000 in fines. Failure to do so will result in a conviction on his record, 12 months of summary probation, 100 hours of community service and $25,000 in fines and penalties.