HGTV personality Tarek El Moussa is responding to complaints that he’s behind a plan to evict a small group of tenants from a rent-controlled property in North Hollywood so he can build a 138-unit apartment building.
After tenants Clare Letmon and her husband JonPaul Rodriguez went public with multiple instagram posts and a Reddit feed that said El Moussa was planning “the biggest flip I have ever done in my life” with their rentals, the Flip or Flop star posted a long message Friday saying he’s not the villain in this scenario.
He’s just, you know, the developer.
“Please let me clear something up regarding a new project,” he said on IG Friday. “I am one of the partners of NoHo 138 working on purchasing the Hartsook property in North Hollywood for redevelopment. Even though I am being dragged for false accusations and misconceptions, my intentions are to do good, and I hope that we can focus on the positive and the facts,” he said.
“Notices to the tenants were served by the current owner, not by me or the partners of NoHo 138. I am not evicting anyone. We did not issue the Ellis Act relocation documents. The city of Los Angeles determined that a new structure shall be constructed on the premises and requested that the structures be removed pursuant to California Civil Code Section 1946. Additionally, the city has been notified pursuant to LAMC 151.09 (C) 4 (a), including the date of the delivery of the Notice of Intent to Withdraw to the Department.
The partners of NoHo 138 have attempted to get in touch with the remaining tenants to have an amicable discussion regarding final move out agreements. The partners of Noho 138 have also reached out to the attorney representing the Hartsook tenants to request assistance in facilitating a meeting between both parties. Our intentions are to work with the tenants to offer a great opportunity for them while helping to improve the neighborhood.”
Letmon and Rodriguez used social media to spread the word about El Moussa’s plans to tear down the rent-controlled units along the 11100 block of Hartsook Street. The entire property, which includes a strip of old California bungalows and a 10-unit dingbat, is owned by real estate developer Arthur Aslanian, who is now in federal prison for a murder-for-hire plot and arson.
Rent in the apartments have ranged from $850 to $1,650. Most of the residents have fled the now-dilapidated property, since Aslanian hasn’t been the most hospitable of landlords. He was the one behind the arson job, which was meant to drive out his renters so he can get on with a new development project. Remnants of burned wood can still be found on the property.
The remaining five tenants who live in three of the Hartsook units have since filed a civil suit against Aslanian. In protest of the ongoing conditions, Letmon and Rodriguez – who attended film school in Florida and came to Southern California with his wife to work in the film industry — haven’t paid rent in a year. The other three tenants are over 70 and/or disabled.
As per their notices to relocate per the Ellis Law, they believe they have upwards of 12 months to find a new home. (By law, they are entitled to up to $20,000 in moving expenses). But they’re in no hurry to leave their little bungalow.
“We want to stay in the area,” said Letmon, who’s pregnant with their first child. “This is a space that’s been here for 100 years for newcomers to Los Angeles who worked as artists, camera operators, production assistants, actors electricity like this. It would break our hearts to watch this get bulldozed.”
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