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Hollywood Hills Party Houses Face Misdemeanors For Disrupting Neighborhood
Only a couple years after legendary party-hoster Danny Fitzgerald was cited for his bacchanals at his Hollywood Hills party estate, two homes in the Hollywood Hills are facing misdemeanors around "maintaining a public nuisance." Kamran Younai, who owns a property on the 7800 block of Electra Drive, and Rose Garcia, property manager of an estate on the 2600 block of La Cuesta Drive, both face multiple misdemeanors, according to a statement from the L.A. City Attorney's office.
Younai received a cease-and-desist letter in May 2016 and officials met with him in September of last year. Despite these attempts to curb his activities, he continued hosting parties at his home. Neighbors have compiled evidence to back up their complaints, including photos of guests and their cars filling up the streets, as well as recordings of the bass lines that reportedly cause neighboring houses to shake. Younai now faces 16 criminal counts, which could result in eight years in jail and $16,000 in fines.
Garcia claims her misdemeanors are an inherited problem and that she hasn't hosted any parties on par with the previous owner of her home. “It’s like if anyone talks in the pool area or sneezes, complaints are filed that have no validity,” she told the L.A. Times. Despite her comments, "neighbors have made complaints and officers have observed disruptive amplified music and voices at the property," according to the statement. Garcia faces 10 criminal counts, which could result in three years in jail and $7,000 in fines for all counts if convicted.
While L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer is currently targeting these two homes specifically, they're part of a larger, years-long fight within the Hollywood Hills neighborhood. In November 2016, the City Council voted to draft an ordinance addressing the lax laws around using homes for partying purposes, according to the L.A. Times. City Councilman David Ryu, who helped draft the ordinance, has said the party houses are a small fraction of the district he represents, but "we must continue to assist LAPD with effective enforcement tools that will bring relief to the overwhelming majority of residents who are besieged by these inconsiderate neighbors."
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In response to these attempts at cracking down, Fitzgerald has addressed the possible law change by citing L.A.'s early last-call hours. “The problem L.A. has is clubs close too early,” he told the Times last year. With the possibility of a 4 a.m. last call in Los Angeles, the city will see if Fitzgerald's hypothesis is true.
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