Eatery may cause code enforcement change

CITY HALL — A string of recent code violations at a Glendale restaurant has city officials re-evaluating its long-held policy of letting businesses continue operations as they try to gain code compliance.

The city attorney’s office sent a letter on March 10 to Adams Square restaurant De Revolution, which is accused of violating several city zoning regulations, demanding that the eatery halt operations until it gains code compliance, deputy City Atty. Dorine Martirosian said.

Before this case, the city has been reluctant to demand that businesses afoul of city zoning codes shut down, City Atty. Scott Howard said. Instead, alleged violators are typically sent letters that urge them to fix their infractions, or else risk revocation of their use permits and potentially face legal action.

The practice is part of what some city officials say is a business-friendly approach to code enforcement that, historically, has led to compliance. But critics of the policy say it lacks teeth. “It’s kind of like gumming them to death,” said Michael Teahan, president of the Adams Hill Homeowners Assn.

Neighborhood Services Administrator Sam Engel, whose department responds to complaints about alleged zoning regulations, said most businesses that receive enforcement letters from his office fix their issues.

When businesses don’t voluntarily comply, Neighborhood Services either requests a revocation hearing from the zoning administrator or transfers the case to the city attorney’s office, which can take legal action to remedy the infractions, Engel said. Whether the case goes first to the zoning administrator or the city attorney is determined on a case-by-case basis, Engel said.

But until now, the city has not gone so far as to demand that a violator, even temporarily, cease operations, he said.

“We have shut down businesses that have had health and safety violations. . . . Have we ever shut down a business for use violations? No, but we’ve never been in a situation where we’ve had so many continuous use violations like we’re dealing with now,” said Engel, who has been with Neighborhood Services since its inception 18 years ago. “Historically, we haven’t done this, but we have reached the point where we have to do this.”

Enforcement issues