Cleanup crews have started the arduous task of removing debris from the property of a million-dollar home famously known as the “trash house” in an upscale Los Angeles neighborhood.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass labeled it a “public health emergency” during her visit to the residence in the affluent Fairfax District neighborhood on Wednesday.
“This is completely unacceptable and it stops today,” declared the mayor.
The house is situated on the 600 block of Martel Avenue, just off Melrose Avenue. The front yard is completely covered in junk and debris. Piles of white garbage bags have accumulated several feet high around the house. The trash has piled up on top of what seems to be broken-down vehicles on the lawn. Vegetation has significantly overgrown around the fenced-off property.
Aside from being a visible nuisance, a strong odor emanating from the site has also posed a health risk to neighbors, officials reported.
Neighbors stated that they had been reporting the condition of the home to the city for months but had not received any response. The mayor promised to look into how those complaints were documented and what transpired during the process.
City records indicate that in 2014, the Department of Building and Safety instructed the homeowner to clear out overgrown vegetation, clean up the garbage and debris, ensure driveway access, and cease using the yard as open storage.
However, the homeowner did not comply and several years later faced two misdemeanor criminal charges of failure to adhere to an order and failure to maintain the property. The case was dismissed in 2019 after significant improvements were made to the site.
Nevertheless, neighbors claimed that the homeowner did not maintain the property and the situation deteriorated over time.
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky emphasized in a statement that property owners are responsible for maintaining their properties.
“Private property owners have a duty to uphold public health standards, and we will ensure that those regulations are enforced,” her statement read.
The single-story, Spanish bungalow-style house is located between two multimillion-dollar homes. According to Realtor.com, the median price range for a house in the neighborhood was listed at $3.42 million in February 2024.
Homeowner ‘Lives in an RV’
Public city records reveal that Raymond Gaon has owned the house since the mid-1990s. Neighbors mentioned that the homeowner does not reside inside the house but instead lives in an RV around the corner. While they are frustrated, they also expressed concern for the homeowner, stating that his apparent hoarding behavior needs to be addressed for his own well-being.
It is estimated that 2 percent to 6 percent of the population suffer from a hoarding disorder, according to the International OCD Foundation. Hoarding symptoms appear to be nearly three times more prevalent in older adults over 55 years of age compared to younger adults. About 75 percent of individuals with a hoarding disorder also have a co-occurring mental health condition.
“This poses a fire hazard, and I am concerned about the individual there, this place catching fire, and him losing his life,” expressed the mayor.
Officials stated that crews will continue the extensive cleanup operation at the property and will investigate what is now described as an “imminent health and safety hazard.”
