As they were moving out of
their studio and one-bedroom apartments, children played in the dilapidated
halls while their parents scrambled to gather possessions and motel vouchers for
what city officials said could be weeks away from the building.
Several third- floor apartments
at the 38-unit Cinema 21, located in the 800 block of E. Washington Boulevard,
were evacuated in February, after rain poured through the building's rotten
ceiling and dripped through its hallways. Some apartment doors still bear the
sticker: DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE TO OCCUPY. After the rains city officials ordered
the building's owner, Norman Furman of San Diego, to repair the roof. Those
repairs are still being made.
A preliminary report on the
building's health conditions was done in part because of the wetness, said the
city's Chief Prosecutor, Connie Orozco, a member of the City Resources Against
Slum Housing team. Two molds Aspergillus and Stachybotrys are present in the
building, according to the report, Orozco said.
Exposure to the molds can cause
various ailments, including allergies, infections and respiratory problems,
according to health experts.
Though the level of
contamination is unknown, the report recommended the building be evacuated
immediately, Orozco said. A final report is expected Monday, and the CRASH team
then will decide when residents can return to the building, Orozco said.
Five-day motel vouchers were
provided to the residents by the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Area Churches.
The group's executive director Frank Clark said he's "never seen a building
that bad in the city of Pasadena.'
Despite the fact that the paint
is peeling, the carpets are filthy, the light fixtures are falling and the
building smells, the residents have made it home, Clark said.
"When you go into the
individual homes, you find articles of their faith, clean dishes and the beds
are made,' he said.
City Councilman Victor Gordo,
who represents the area, said the evacuation, which started Wednesday and
concluded Friday, should send a "strong message to this and any other
landlord' who lets a building fall into a similar state of disrepair.
"They either better get on
top of the situation and do the right thing by improving living conditions or
turn the building over to someone who will,' Gordo said. "If they are not
willing to do that then the city will be forced to take the action it took this
week. Either do it, or get out of the business.'
City officials should have
evacuated the building long before the rains came, said resident Ladonna Woodley.
"I've been to the city
several times and they never did anything,' Woodley said. "Now, they don't
have a choice.'
The situation is being
investigated and Furman, who's owned the building for about 20 years, may be
prosecuted because of the conditions, Orozco said.
"This really is the
landlord's responsibility, but we're stepping in to make sure (the residents)
are well taken care of,' Orozco said.
Furman
did not return phone calls.