The City of Santa Monica is seeking the temporary closure of a local motel alongside fines and security improvements due to ongoing criminal activity at the location that has resulted in numerous arrests and complaints.
City Hall has filed a nuisance abatement action against the owners and managers of the Pavilions Motel in Sunset Park, Saeed Farzam and Goharshad Farzam, alleging they have violated the state Drug Abatement Act, state public nuisance laws and Santa Monica public nuisance law. The suit claims the motel is known for drug sales, fights and other problems that make it a nuisance for the surrounding community
The suit alleges the hotel is well known as a place to buy drugs and lists several arrests from this year from the location.
"These arrests over the last several months are just the tip of the iceberg, evidenced by the fact that they have not deterred the drug activity in the intervening weeks," says the lawsuit. "SMPD has dedicated at least 100 man-hours to policing the area surrounding the Motel, just since November 2023. Despite this dedication of resources, the drug-dealing has not abated. People still routinely come to the Motel parking lot, or to one of the "takeout" windows or gates, to buy drugs."
The complaint claims that the drug sales prompt other troublesome activity including fires, noise complaints, public intoxication and violence.
"Property owners are responsible for ensuring that their properties are not a nuisance or a danger to the neighborhood, and the city will hold them accountable when they fail to do so," said City Attorney Douglas Sloan in a statement.
The lawsuit asks the court to close the property for up to one year and says if closure is too harsh then fine the owners an amount equal to the fair market rental value of the property for one year. It also asks for individual fines against each owner of $25,000, sale of hotel fixtures to pay for enforcement costs, hiring a property management company to oversee the location, installation of various security measures and to require the owners or their representatives to live at the location until the nuisances are stopped.
In the suit, Sloan says the owners have been contacted multiple times about the problems and have chosen to ignore the warnings. The suit says no action has been taken to make any improvements on the property despite years of complaints.
According to the lawsuit, the motel has been part of enforcement efforts in the past, including a joint code enforcement and police operation in 2007 that resulted in a temporary closure of the motel and arrests of several people, including owner Saeed Farzam.
"The Pavilions Motel has had an outsized impact on the community and on the deployment of police resources for years," said Chief of Police Ramon Batista. "The Santa Monica Police Department is pleased to collaborate with the City Attorney’s Office in developing long-term solutions to this problem and this lawsuit is a critical step in that process."
matt@smdp.com
