A Santa Monica motel with a long history of alleged criminal activity will close its doors after city officials won their battle to revoke its business license last week.
The Pavilions Motel, located at 2338 Ocean Park Blvd, must cease operations following a March 24 ruling by an administrative hearing examiner who upheld the city's June 2024 decision to revoke the establishment's business license.
Owners Saeed Farzam and Goharshad Farzam had appealed the revocation, but failed to comply with conditions that would have allowed them to continue operating, according to city officials.
Officials said the motel had become notorious as a hotspot for drug sales and other criminal activity, drawing numerous complaints from nearby residents and requiring substantial police resources.
The hearing examiner initially upheld the license revocation in November 2024 but gave the owners a 90-day period to meet specific conditions that would have allowed them to regain their business license.
These requirements included hiring qualified overnight staff, addressing all code violations, and providing the Santa Monica Police Department with access to the motel's security cameras.
After the 90-day period elapsed, the examiner determined the Farzams had failed to meet all the mandated conditions.
Under city policy, the owners cannot obtain a new business license for one year, and the motel must remain closed during this period.
City officials said the Code Enforcement Division, police department, and City Attorney's Office will monitor the property to ensure compliance with Santa Monica's vacant properties code, which aims to prevent abandoned buildings from becoming public nuisances.
Meanwhile, a separate civil lawsuit filed by the city against the motel owners remains active. This legal action seeks a court-ordered closure of the property for up to one year, monetary penalties, and implementation of additional security measures.
The lawsuit alleges violations of the state Drug Abatement Act, state public nuisance laws, and Santa Monica public nuisance ordinances. It details numerous arrests at the location and claims the motel is well-known as a place to purchase drugs.
In that case, the City lists several arrests over monthslong period at the motel and said drug activity continued unabated despite dedicating hundreds of hours to enforcement at the location.
The civil complaint seeks individual fines of $25,000 against each owner and proposes selling hotel fixtures to cover enforcement costs. It also asks the court to require the owners to hire a property management company, install enhanced security measures, and mandate that the owners or their representatives live at the location until the nuisance conditions are resolved.
According to the lawsuit, city officials contacted the Farzams multiple times regarding problems at the property, but the owners have allegedly ignored these warnings and failed to make improvements despite years of complaints.
This isn't the first time the Pavilions Motel has faced enforcement action. The lawsuit references a joint code enforcement and police operation in 2007 that resulted in a temporary closure and several arrests, including that of owner Saeed Farzam.
