City council orders tire shop to meet 23 zoning conditions, gives owner 90 days to comply

The Los Angeles City Council on a unanimous vote approved a motion requiring the owner of a tire shop near 13th and Gaffey Street to meet 23 conditions set by prior land-use decisions, obtain a business license immediately and submit to verification by the Department of Building and Safety within 90 days.

Residents and neighbors told the council the business has caused noise, dust and safety concerns next to nearby apartments. Council members debated whether to allow the owner time to recoup his investment; the council ultimately amended a PLUM (Planning and Land Use Management) committee recommendation to extend enforcement verification to 90 days and approved the amendment 15-0.

The decision follows competing testimony at the hearing. Attorney Joe Baer, speaking for the property owner Gabriel Flores, said the owner relied on earlier informal advice from city staff before buying the property: "In reliance upon that statement, Mister Flores then went. He bought the property." Baer said Flores invested roughly $170,000 to develop the site and that removal of installation rights would threaten the business.

Neighbors described ongoing impacts. Francisco Losa told the council he and his family live next to the shop and said: "There was noises ... a lot more traffic ... and not a lot of traffic." A tenant who identified herself as Rachel said she experiences so much dust that "I don't have to turn on the light to use the restroom in my bathroom." Neighbor Rose DeLuca said the property is "less than 200 feet" from her home and cited concerns about noise, graffiti and possible hazard from tire debris.

Opponents told the council the owner had sought a variance and either ignored or failed to meet conditions imposed by earlier land-use reviews. Mary Niswander told the council the owner was denied permission for installation in the zoning district and then appealed; she said a prior decision imposed 23 conditions and that, "he has not met any of those conditions." Council discussion relied on a chronology from the Department of Building and Safety that committee members said showed repeated notices that installation was not permitted at the site.

Council member Savornich (who moved the amendment) framed a compromise intended to limit the financial harm to the owner while enforcing the law: council action reaffirmed that the 23 conditions must be satisfied immediately, directed the Department of Building and Safety to verify compliance within 90 days, and required the owner to obtain a business license. Council member Bernsen, chair of the PLUM committee, supported the recommendation but said past inspections showed clear noncompliance: "In my opinion, this is an individual that just doesn't care about obeying the law," he said during debate.

The council voted to adopt the PLUM committee recommendation as amended; the clerk recorded the vote as 15 ayes. The motion instructs Building and Safety to report back on compliance within the 90-day window and the mayor's business team offered assistance to help the owner relocate if he cannot bring operations into compliance.

The council record includes the direct requirement that the owner obtain a business license immediately and that Building and Safety make a follow-up inspection within the ordered period. The matter had earlier been the subject of a variance request, a Zoning Administrator decision and a Board of Zoning Appeals review; the council action did not itself change zoning but required compliance with prior conditions and set an enforcement timeline.

Affected parties may expect a Building and Safety inspection and a follow-up report to the council; the motion also directs staff to offer relocation assistance if the site cannot lawfully provide both tire sales and installation.

Votes at the meeting on this item were recorded as the amended PLUM recommendation passing 15 ayes.