LOS ANGELES, CA – The Fairfax District’s long-running “trash house” is drawing renewed pressure from city and county officials after Mayor Karen Bass’s office called its current condition “outrageous” and urged county mental health officials to push for a court-appointed conservator for the owner, according to a statement from the office.
The Mayor’s Office statement was given to reporters Wednesday, Oct. 7, about the home in the 600 block of North Martel Avenue, just south of Melrose Avenue. The office said the owner of the private property “has once again allowed the conditions to disintegrate” and that neighbors are forced to live near the mess.
The office said the criminal case against the owner is ongoing while the court considers appointing a conservator. The owner is going through mental health court, and the next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 16.
Piles of trash and bags are again visible around the home, according to initial reports. The owner is in his 70s.
Mayor’s Office urges a conservator
The Mayor’s Office said it has worked with the Council Office and multiple city departments to clean up the health and safety hazard on more than one occasion. It said it is urging the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health to push for the court’s appointment of a conservator.
According to the statement, a conservator would serve as a responsible party to ensure the property never deteriorates into this condition again. The office added that if appropriate legal action is not expedient, the city will pursue all actions necessary to prevent a repeat.
Council office points to the mayor and City Attorney
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky’s office said the Mayor’s Office is currently coordinating the city’s response. It referred questions about cleanups, enforcement and next steps to the Mayor’s Office and the City Attorney.
In September 2025, Yaroslavsky called conditions at the property completely unacceptable. She said then that her office had pressed the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, the City Attorney and the county for more than a year and had demanded updates on court hearings.
She also said the case showed that the system is designed to request compliance rather than demand accountability. Her office was leading a motion to streamline nuisance abatement, she said.
County Environmental Health plans a site investigation
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Environmental Health Division said Wednesday that a site investigation will be scheduled. The inspection will evaluate the accumulation of trash and debris, potential sanitation issues and evidence of vermin activity or infestation.
If violations are found, the department said, notices will be sent to the owner by certified mail and posted at the home if it is accessible. It said it will share its findings with the County Department of Mental Health and the Department of Building and Safety.
The department said it was last involved during the city’s multi-agency cleanup in 2025.
Mental Health Department cites patient privacy
The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health said patient privacy prevents health providers like the department from publicly discussing specific cases. The department did not comment on the mayor’s request that it push for a conservator.
The Los Angeles County Superior Court’s mental health court is hearing the owner’s case. No ruling on a conservator has been reported.
City crews have cleaned the property before
In 2024, the city stepped in, citing safety and sanitation concerns, and crews cleaned the property shortly after Bass met with area residents. About seven tons of trash were removed in April 2024, according to initial reports.
At the time, some residents described the property as a fire hazard. The Mayor’s Office said this week that the hazard has since been cleaned up more than once.
The Department of Building and Safety is the city department that handles code-enforcement complaints and compliance. Its code enforcement complaints page explains how complaints about properties are handled.
Neighbors are divided over the property
Residents have mixed views of the home. One neighbor said the trash rises, comes down and then comes back up again, but said the property does not bother him and that the owner minds his own business.
Another neighbor described the owner as a sweet older man often seen walking with new loads of water bottles. He said the city has bigger messes to deal with than the home on Martel Avenue.
Last year, a representative for the owner said he is not a hoarder but a recycler who earns his living from the materials. Some residents have asked why the city has not done more about the large piles, which remain visible years later.
A man who appeared to be the owner entered the front gate Wednesday and declined to answer questions.
City changed nuisance-abatement rules in June
In June, the Los Angeles City Council adopted ordinance amendments led by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez to strengthen the city’s authority to abate nuisance, hazardous and substandard properties. The amended ordinance shortens the time to begin abatement from 30 days to 15 days and the time to complete it from 90 days to 45 days.
The amendments grew out of the city’s work on a longstanding nuisance property in La Tuna Canyon, from a motion Rodriguez introduced in October 2024. The available information does not say whether the amended ordinance has been applied to the Martel Avenue property.
Hearing is set for Oct. 16
The next hearing in the owner’s mental health court case is scheduled for Oct. 16. The criminal case remains ongoing, and the court has not announced a decision on a conservator.
The county’s site investigation had not been scheduled as of Wednesday.
