City Spends $12K To Clean Up Lawn Of Granada Hills Home, Councilman Wants Homeowner To Pay

GRANADA HILLS (CBSLA) — After years of complaints and several court orders, the city of Los Angeles Saturday sent sanitation workers in Moon suits to remove 21,000 pounds of trash and junk from the front lawn of a Granada Hills home.

Neighbors said they were happy something had been done to clear the junk from the yard of the home in the 16500 block of Bircher Street, but they fear the nightmare may not be over.

"It seems that some of the stuff has gone away and then come back, but we're not sure," James Eric, who lives across the street, said.

He said aside from the eyesore the junk created, it also brought with it sanitation concerns.

"The rodent activity has really gotten bad," Eric said. "We see them running up and down the street and the sidewalk in the middle of the night."

Councilman John Lee authorized the cleanup, spending $12,000 of public funds to do it.

He said the courts have been too slow and the neighbors shouldn't have to wait any longer to get some relief.

Jazzy, who lives in the home, spoke briefly with CBS Los Angeles.

"We're just cleaning up as we go along," she said.

Neighbors said they were cautiously optimistic that things will get better, even as they wait for the city to tackle the piles of junk in the backyard of the home.

"It's a difficult situation all around," Eric said. "We're just waiting and hoping they take some time and do what's best for the neighborhood."

Lee's staff said they want the city to go after the property owners to cover the cost of the cleanup, but said that would likely take time and have to be resolved in court.