City will clean up the 8-foot wall of junk at Koreatown hoarder’s house
By CBSLA Staff
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LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Leticia Ruiz doesn’t enjoy sitting out on her porch in Koreatown as much these days because of the mountain of trash that covers her neighbor’s front yard.
The putrid smell and the numerous critters have her retreating into the safety of her home.
“Every time I had a complaint somebody would come, they would take a picture and that’s it,” said Leticia Ruiz. “They would just write a letter…and nothing (would) happen.
The 8-foot wall of junk contains items like old doors, lamps and laundry baskets. It has been cited for code violations by the city multiple times since 2010, according to Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety records. Ruiz and her neighbors along Harvard Boulevard said they have filed complaints with the city for several years but nothing ever happens. However, a day after the airing of this story, the City Attorney’s office confirmed that the homeowner signed a “Right of Entry” which allows crews to clean up the junk on Thursday at 8 a.m. for no cost.
“I’m so happy,” said Ruiz. “Everyone is so happy.”
Other neighbors shared Ruiz’s sense of relief after watching the pile of junk progressively grow for over a decade.
“I’m finally glad something is being done about it,” said neighbor Edward Lim.
The homeowner could not be reached for an interview.
According to a family friend, a 90-year-old woman lives in the home with her son who has been hoarding junk for years.
“I’ve noticed the resident coming in and out of his car a few times and he has things so it’s getting progressively worse,” said neighbor Sharonda Williams.
Family, friends and neighbors were concerned for the well-being of the elderly woman because she struggles to move around and has fallen several times.
On Tuesday afternoon, firefighters, medics and representatives from Councilmember Mark Ridley Thomas’ office visited the homeowner to ensure her safety. After confirming her health and safety, the 90-year-old homeowner signed the agreement for the city to clean the property.
While neighbors understand that this is a step forward in the right direction, some additional concerns have arisen.
“The only major concern I have right now is once we start removing these things then all the nasties that were in there to start to come out and hopefully they don’t migrate to our house,” said Lim. At least now it’s done, hopefully.”
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