Committee backs zoning administratordecision to discontinue motel use after police and residents cite crime

The City Planning and Land Use Committee voted unanimously to deny an appeal and uphold the Zoning Administratordetermination to discontinue transient use at the Highland Motel and to forward the recommendation to the full City Council.

The committee took the action after Los Angeles Police Department officers and community members described sustained criminal activity they said was tied to the motelincluding prostitution, drug sales, shootings, robberies and at least two homicides reported in the area. The committeevote was 5-0 to deny the appeal.

Police and planning staff said officers and code enforcement repeatedly met with the motel operators over several years and that suggested conditions and security improvements were not consistently implemented. A senior LAPD officer told the committee the motel had generated hundreds of police contacts and investigations: the staff presentation and LAPD summary listed roughly 188 service calls, more than 140 investigative reports, dozens of arrests and multiple reports of violent crimes over a multiyear period. The officer recommended revoking the propertys transient-use entitlement because, he said, operators had failed to make lasting, required corrections.

The Zoning Administratordetermination described a history of neighborhood complaints and police reports and imposed six conditions related to security and operations. The motel owner appealed, arguing the owners had taken steps such as installing cameras, tightening parking enforcement and accepting credit cards to reduce cash-driven activity; the owners attorney also argued the revocation raised due-process concerns and cited constitutional protections.

Community speakers included nearby school staff and parents who said students and families felt unsafe crossing streets near the motel; staff from a local high school said hundreds of families signed letters asking the committee to deny the appeal. Several motel employees and regular customers told the committee the owners had installed cameras and gates, that they cooperated with officers and that closing the motel would take affordable lodging away from people who rely on low-cost rooms.

Committee members pressed staff on the factual record, asking how many calls and arrests were directly attributed to activity on motel property, how many times staff had visited and what specific conditions remained unmet. Planning staff and LAPD testified they had documented dozens of visits (the presenter initially said 59 visits, later corrected to 69) and many instances where security equipment or procedures were reported to be inoperable or otherwise inadequate. Staff described repeated outreach, written warnings and coordination with the City Attorneyincluding certified letters following unsuccessful mitigation attempts.

After discussion the committee voted to sustain the Zoning Administratordecision and forward the matter to the full City Council for final action.

Votes at the committee: Bloomenfield yes; Haad yes; Nazarian yes; Lee yes; Ramn yes. The committeerecommendation will be considered by the full council per standard procedures.

The committee's action does not immediately close the motel; it forwards the recommendation to the City Council, which will take the next step in the administrative appeal process.