An abandoned mansion with scene views in the Hollywood Hills has turned into a four-story eyesore after it was taken over by taggers and squatters.
Neighbors told NBCLA the house has been vacant for about a decades, but squatters started moving in last year. In the last week, fresh graffiti has appeared on the mansion, despite walls and fencing placed around the property.
Video from NewsChopper4 showed the hillside mansion at 7571 Mulholland Drive covered with graffiti in what City Councilmember Nithya Raman's office described as a "public safety issue with serious consequences for both neighbors and the surrounding community." In a statement to NBCLA, Raman's office said Friday that she has been in contact with the Los Angeles Police Department as well as the Department of Building and Safety about the residence.
"This owner is in egregious violation of the law and we are elevating the issue with the abandoned buildings unit at the Department of Building and Safety to ensure that the fullest extent of enforcement is being implemented urgently and swiftly," Raman's office said in the statement.
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An abatement order was previously issued by the building and safety department, but Raman's office said it was ignored by the property owner. The agency attempted to secure the property with fencing, but that "security measure was breached," the statement continued.
NBCLA has reached out to the LAPD for more information.
The four-story, six-bedroom mansion with a large pool is perched on a hillside overlooking Los Angeles with views to the east and south. All levels of the exterior and the roof of the home, building in 2003, appear covered in graffiti. Many of the window are shattered.
Watch the NBC4 News at 11 a.m. for updates.
