City Council

(26) 12-1824-S3 PUBLIC SAFETY and PLANNING AND LAND USE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES’ REPORT relative to options for increasing fines and penalties for repeat “party house” violations. Recommendation for Council action, pursuant to Motion (Yaroslavsky - Park, Raman, Blumenfield): INSTRUCT the City Administrative Officer (CAO), with the assistance of the City Attorney, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), Department of Building and Safety (LADBS), Office of Finance, and Department of City Planning, to report on options for increasing fines and penalties for repeat “party house” violations, including, but not limited to: a. Establishing an updated fine structure and formula that accounts for the assessed market value of the subject property, the scale and impact of the violation, the commercial nature of the violation, land use designation, geographic location, and the cumulative number of violations. b. Establishing penalties that eliminate the hosting capacity of the subject property, including coordination with the Department of Water and Power to disconnect or restrict service, and action by LADBS to secure the property, where there is evidence of chronic, unpermitted commercial use in a residential zone. c. Establishing a process for investigating and making an administrative determination of whether a subject residential property is being used for a revenue-generating purpose. d. Implementing a cost recovery mechanism to recoup all costs associated with City intervention, including LAPD and LADBS overtime, and ensuring effective enforcement of collection through mechanisms such as a lien on the property. Fiscal Impact Statement: Neither the CAO nor the CLA has completed a financial analysis of this report.