The Los Angeles Superior Court recently ordered the appointment of a receiver to correct hundreds of building and safety code violations at the Palmdale Inn, 217 E. Palmdale Blvd. The receiver will step in as full owner of the property and will subsequently bring the facility up to code.
“We are pleased with the court’s decisions in these matters,” said Matthew Ditzhazy, Palmdale City Attorney. “We are confident that the receiver will promptly bring this property up to the community’s standards so that it may once again provide safe lodging to those visiting Palmdale.”
Last December, the city issued a notice to the Palmdale Inn to vacate after it had amassed more than 400 violations of city, county and state building and safety codes. The court order validated the city’s enforcement actions and noted that the defendant had failed to take necessary steps to correct the violations. The property was described as “substandard, constitutes a public nuisance and is being maintained in a manner that violates state and local laws.”
The Palmdale Sheriff’s department had reportedly responded over the years to at least 50 instances of unlawful drug activity and made dozens of drug-related arrests for the unlawful storage, possession, sale and use of methamphetamine, morphine, cocaine and marijuana. The complaint by the city also noted the increased danger to the neighborhood caused by the presence of illicit drug users and dealers, in addition to numerous other public nuisance conditions related to the use and sale of illegal drugs including attempted murder, assault, domestic violence, robbery, vandalism and theft. Last year, there were reportedly more than 400 calls to the Palmdale Sheriff’s precinct related to incidents stemming from the Palmdale Inn.
“Valuable police resources were drained by this property due to the constant police attention it required,” Ditzhazy said. “The surrounding neighborhood, as well as the greater community, were negatively impacted by the Palmdale Inn. That is no longer the case.”
In a related court case, United States District Court Judge Hon. Michael W. Fitzgerald dismissed Palmdale Inn owner William Herrera’s requests for injunctive and declamatory relief in a case he brought against the city of Palmdale. The court also stayed any claims for alleged damages until after the conclusion of the state court action and any resulting appeal.
