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Tenants and advocates urge council to reinspect Produce Hotel and halt REAP removal
Summary
Tenants of the Produce Hotel in Skid Row and advocacy groups urged the City Council during public comment to halt removal of the building from the Rent Escrow Account Program (REAP), citing ongoing habitability problems including water damage, vermin and inoperable fire systems.
Dozens of tenants, former staff and tenant advocates addressed the Los Angeles City Council during public comment on Wednesday to oppose removing the Produce Hotel from the Rent Escrow Account Program (REAP) and to ask the city to conduct a full reinspection with tenant participation.
Adam, an organizer with the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN), said inspections and enforcement records did not reflect continuing conditions at the building and urged the council to postpone any action removing the property from REAP. "We saw the ceiling falling apart from a very visible leak in the common room... roaches in units, fire suppression systems that were out of compliance," he said, and called for inspections that include tenants and publication of inspection and service records.
Several current tenants described a range of problems they said persist at the building, including long‑term lack of heating, water leaks, rodent and roach infestations, broken or non‑working cameras and fire‑safety concerns. One tenant who identified herself as a former apartment manager said she had left the job because of the building's conditions and asked the council not to approve any rent increase or other action that would remove regulatory oversight while problems remain.
Speakers pressed the council to use REAP enforcement levers to ensure repairs are completed rather than to clear the property from the program. They cited communications indicating the building's new owner had applied for a HUD RAD conversion and said tenants were concerned about displacement if relocation plans proceed without protections.
Council staff did not take immediate action on REAP during the public comment period; the presenters asked the council to re‑inspect, involve tenants in inspections, make records public, and enforce habitability standards. Several speakers said they had photographic evidence and requested the council inspect the building in person.
No formal council vote or motion on REAP removal was recorded on the floor during the public comment period covered by the transcript. The matter remains an open enforcement and tenant‑protection issue for the Housing Department and council offices.
Speakers included organizers from LA CAN, tenants of The Produce Hotel, and tenant advocates and neighborhood groups including Skid Row organizations.
