LOS ANGELES, CA – Trash and debris have again piled up around a home in the 600 block of North Martel Avenue in the Fairfax District, prompting Mayor Karen Bass’s office to call the conditions “outrageous” and Los Angeles County health officials to plan a site investigation.
The property sits near Melrose Avenue. The city has cleaned it up before, most recently in a multi-agency operation in 2025, and the conditions were again visible on Wednesday, Oct. 7. A court hearing connected to the owner is set for Oct. 16, 2026.
The Mayor’s Office said in a statement to reporters that a criminal case against the owner is ongoing while the court considers appointing a conservator. The office also urged the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health to support that appointment.
Mayor’s office calls the conditions outrageous
A spokesperson for Bass said it is “outrageous” that the owner of the private property has once again allowed conditions to deteriorate and that neighbors are forced to live near the mess.
The 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 would pursue all actions necessary if the legal proceedings are not expedited.
The mayor’s office also asked the County Department of Mental Health to push for a conservator at the Oct. 16 hearing.
County health officials to inspect the property
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Environmental Health Division said it has been made aware of the concerns and will schedule a site investigation. The inspection will evaluate the accumulation of trash and debris, potential sanitation issues and any evidence of vermin activity or infestation.
If violations are found, the division said, notices will be sent to the owner by certified mail and posted at the home if it is accessible. The division said it was last involved at the property during the city’s multi-agency cleanup in 2025.
The division publishes information about its housing inspections on the county’s public health website. Findings from the Martel Avenue investigation will be shared with the Department of Mental Health and the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, the division said.
Court hearing set for Oct. 16
According to the mayor’s office, the owner’s criminal case remains pending and the court is considering whether to appoint a conservator. The next hearing is Oct. 16.
Information released so far does not describe what a conservatorship would involve for the property. Officials have said the hearing is the point at which the County Department of Mental Health is being urged to weigh in.
City cleanup in April 2024 followed an emergency declaration
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety cited the property in 2014. Years later, Bass visited the home in April 2024 and declared it a public health emergency.
“I don’t care what the process was — to me this was a public health emergency and we needed to respond,” Bass said at the property on April 4, 2024. City crews then removed about seven tons of waste.
Cleanup returned in September 2025
Garbage had built up again by September 2025, and the city carried out a further multi-agency cleanup. Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, whose District 5 includes the Fairfax District, called the situation “completely unacceptable” in a statement to reporters on Sept. 10, 2025.
She said the conditions were “once again impacting neighbors and draining city resources.” Her office, she said, was pressing the city attorney, Los Angeles County and the Department of Building and Safety to address neighbors’ complaints and to provide updates on court hearings.
City Council adopted nuisance-property changes in June
The Los Angeles City Council voted 13-0 in June 2026 to adopt amendments intended to speed up the abatement of nuisance properties. Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez led the measure, according to her office’s announcement.
City officials have not said how the ordinance applies to the Martel Avenue property.
Neighbors and the state of the property
According to initial reports, garbage again surrounds the home, including what appeared to be a vehicle buried under the trash. The home sits on a residential block of the Fairfax District.
The county’s investigation is meant to establish whether sanitation problems or vermin are present, which would determine whether violation notices are issued to the owner.
Hearing and inspection are next steps
The county health site investigation has not yet been scheduled, and the owner’s court hearing is set for Oct. 16. The mayor’s office has said the city would pursue further action if the legal process is not expedited.
