Los Angeles is getting tough on so-called party houses.
The city intends to cut the power and water to homes that repeatedly host large gatherings that officials say risk spreading the coronavirus, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Wednesday he will start authorizing such actions, adding that “the consequences of these large parties ripple far beyond just those parties,” according to the report. L.A. experienced a surge in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks.
Starting on Friday evening, the L.A. Police Department will begin responding to large gatherings and logging information about them. If a case is considered “egregious,” authorities will notify homeowners or renters within 48 hours, and cut power and water to the property.
Also on Wednesday, City Council member David Ryu introduced a motion similar to the mayor’s. In addition to shutting off utilities, Ryu’s measure outlined penalties on the occupants and property owners, including fines, permit prohibitions and revoking of certificates of occupancy.
Ryu’s motion also cited the city’s party house ordinance passed in 2018, which allows L.A. to punish property owners and renters who repeatedly create a nuisance in their neighborhood. Glendale passed a similar ordinance last year.
Garcetti’s announcement came a couple days after a 200-plus person bash at a mansion on Mulholland Drive, during which three people were shot.
The city and county reopened businesses in stages throughout June before rising Covid cases prompted officials to pull back. Bars were forced to close just a week after opening in late June because they are considered hotspots for the spread of the virus.
Garcetti called large house parties de facto bars.
“While we have already closed all nightclubs and bars, these large house parties have essentially become nightclubs in the hills,” he said. [LADN] — Dennis Lynch