City of LA takes steps to clear out massive 'junkyard property' in La Tuna Canyon

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The city of Los Angeles is taking action to clear out a large "junkyard property" in La Tuna Canyon some say has become a massive dumping ground.

Armed with a warrant granted late Monday, a team of Los Angeles Fire Department personnel, building and safety staff and police officers entered the property in the 8600 block of La Tuna Canyon Road Wednesday morning to conduct a more detailed assessment of the littered grounds.

The large property is filled with old cars, tires, wheels, large appliances and piles of trash.

Councilman Monica Rodriguez, who represents the 7th District which encompasses the Northeast San Fernando Valley including La Tuna, called it an "all-hands-on-deck situation."

The woman who owns the property was not available for comment Wednesday. She doesn't live on the property but her son does. Eyewitness News attempted to speak with him earlier this month, but he refused to speak on camera. He is believed to be living in a vehicle on site.

"Once we know with greater detail what is actually being documented at this juncture, we will then know what the court will afford the city of Los Angeles to mitigate this going forward,'' Rodriguez said.

Police said on Tuesday night, the man was taken into custody on an unrelated matter.

"We're going to build a totality of all the different violations we found [Wednesday] and the nature of those violations, how critical they are, how much of a health hazard or fire hazard they are, and then we're going to take the entire package and give it to the city attorneys," said L.A. Fire Marshal David Perez.

Years of complaints

Multiple complaints have been filed over the years about the property, according to Rodriguez. She said the home has been the source of frustration and problems since 2019, complicated by the fact there are multiple parcels associated with the location.

Rodriguez office's has been receiving continued reports about the "open storage, inoperable vehicles, trash and debris and grading without permits.''

"Trash, toxic chemicals, soil being tested by the [Environmental Protection Agency] that had heavy metals in it," said Elena Malone, who lives next door to the property. "Also, a steady flow of people during the night. I'm not sure what they were doing, but then debris, stolen cars, fires ... fires are my biggest concern because we only have one way in and out of my priority."

In November 2019, the city attorney filed a lawsuit against the homeowners, followed by court hearings in September and November 2020.

"As a result of COVID, court cases had been canceled and rescheduled," Rodriguez said. "In 2021, the owner had reported claims of progress ... based on what the Department of Building and Safety could visibly see having not been onto the property were only able to report the items that they were able to visibly identify."

The owner was sentenced to 180 days in jail as a result of the citations, but ultimately served only one, the councilwoman said.

"I'm very thankful LAPD, LAFD and all the city services are here," said Malone. "I'm glad to see them. That feels good. I'm a little concerned because in the press conference, [Rodriguez] said she's known about the issue since 2017. Here we are in 2024. If there has been knowledge of the issue from the city, I'm curious as to why it was so slow."

Prior to Wednesday, inspectors were unable to enter the property due to prolonged legal proceedings.

The results of the inspection will allow the city to possibly declare the area a nuisance.

Rodriguez said this will "enable the city to then be able to possibly, with court authority, declare this area a nuisance that can then be abated by the city of Los Angeles. Until such time, the city of Los Angeles can't go on to private properties to clear these cases."

The goal is for the city to build a case and gain permission to go onto the property and remove all the debris.

City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.