City City Lawyer investigating 900 pricing complaints after wild fires – San Bernardino Sun

The Los Angeles City Prosecutor’s Office is crushed by taking advantage of “referrals from all over the city”, with employees investigating about 900 landlords of landlords who overcome the pricing rules after Wildfire.

La City Hydee Feldstein Soto’s lawyer said a recent case against a New York High Class Apartments in New York, furnished by high-end, is outlined as the largest work of her office after Los Angeles County County Last Month S

With thousands of people displaced by the palisades and fires of Ethan, Feldstein Soto has delegated investigations into the prices of each division of its office.

“I have people in our public right branch, in the criminal branch and in my own executive apartment or in a table in the FEMA disaster recovery centers, or taking complaints on telephone lines to make sure we will get the people who investigate And they appreciate the complaints, ”she said.

The public right branch works to protect the environment, land and prevent fraudulent business practices.

See also: Hiring in Los Angeles County will soon be a maximum of $ 50,000

“It was all the efforts of deck. We had to redistribute ourselves from other resources, “she told her office officers of 1,000 people, including hundreds of lawyers.

The highest legal cop in the city said their biggest case was brought on February 3 against Bluegrand US Inc. A company supported by risk capital founded in 2013

The Feldstein Soto Service claims in his complaint that New York -based landlord regularly offers rents over 10%, opposing an emergency pricing order issued by governor Gavin Newpom after the fires erupted in the Pacific Palisadi and Altadada in January. 7. The fires killed at least 29 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures. More than 100,000 people evacuated their homes.

“When we looked at Bluegrand, they were immediately almost beyond the board, between January 7 and January 14, they increased their prices by more than 10%. It ranges from 20% to more than 50%, “the city lawyer said. “That didn’t seem to be accidental.”

Alexander Chatislefterio, CEO and co -founder of New York -based City Blueard, was not available to comment on the city lawyer’s claims that he violated the price of the price. On Wednesday, Chatzieleftheriou said his company operates in full compliance with California’s law, including the Tire Act, which was recently triggered.

The Feldstein Soto Soto has filed a civil law enforcement case against Bluegra, not a criminal complaint, as it was “just as effective and much more faster to deal with poor behavior to ensure compliance and to deter others,” she said S

“I want the practice to stop. I want the bad behavior to stop, “she said. “Price extraction is a very strong protection against the people who benefit from tragedy. In the event that after the case, they raised the rent by more than 10%. “

The complaint filed against Bluegrand immediately forbids the rental company from participating in the prices anti-gubs and gives tenants with a way to stab their overpaid rentals by Bluegrand. If convicted, Bluegraf will pay $ 2500 for violation of the outbreak of the outbreak, which, in the short -term rent of “per day, per week or per month,” can reach over $ 100,000 in total, according to the complaint.

See also: “Wild fire refugees” collide to find housing as rents bend

“It depends on how quickly someone admits that he is doing something he cannot do and voluntarily complies and whether we really have to take them to the test we are willing to do,” said Feldstein Soto. “If they fight with me and it will be in May or June, I have a preliminary order to stop them from recharging and paying restitution back to the victims. The question is how many violations were in those who intervene for three months, at least and it will be $ 2500 to pay rent. “

The allegations against Bluegrand have come to the attention of Feldstein Soto’s office of a tenant rights group that she refused to identify.

Bluegrand offers “flexible conditions for a month, year or more” on the rental websites such as Zillow, Westside Rent and Airbnb.

In the complaint, the City Prosecutor’s Office names a dozen properties from Venice and Santa Monica to Woodland Hills and the center of LA, which violate the Tire Act.

Among the examples quoted by the law firm to attract prices from Bluegrand, the monthly rent for an apartment in downtown LA was indicated for $ 2000 per month on December 31, was raised from $ 56% to $ 3.120 on January 7th. The price was reduced to $ 2730 on January 10-AM more than 36.5% higher than the last price of the advantage, according to the complaint.

She said Bluegrand and other pricing complaints came from places like FEMA disaster recovery centers in the LA area through the city’s lawyer’s website or call 311, a non -interference number that connects the calls with the services of local self -government or services, or calls for local self -government services or local government services, or website 311.