Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced Wednesday that his office had filed 16 criminal charges against the CCOA Housing Corporation, owner and operator of Cathay Manor, a 16-story, 270-unit residential apartment complex for low-income seniors in L.A.’s Chinatown district.
CCOA allegedly failed to repair the building’s only two elevators for months, leaving them out of service despite multiple orders from the L.A. Department of Building and Safety to fix them.
Feuer’s office also alleged CCOA failed to test and maintain the elevators in accordance with city fire safety protocols. CCOA management had been cited by the Los Angeles Fire Department for numerous fire protection violations.
“It’s outrageous that vulnerable seniors living in a 16-story high-rise have endured multiple days without safe and working elevators,” Feuer said in a statement on Wednesday. “These are parents and grandparents having to forego daily activities like medical appointments, shopping for food, or meeting with friends and family.”
According to the complaint, a DBS official visited Cathay Manor in September in response to an anonymous complaint that both elevators were not working. The inspector confirmed that neither elevator was operational and issued an order to repair them and issued a repair order to CCOA.
CCOA reportedly repaired one of the elevators prior to a follow-up inspection one week later. That inspector determined CCOA to be in compliance with city rules on residential elevator service.
But in October, DBS received another complaint about Cathay Manor’s elevators being out of service again. A third inspection determined both elevators were inoperable. DBS issued a second repair order, but five days later, the elevators were still not working.
DBS conducted a fifth and final inspection just last week, finding the elevators were still broken and tenants were completely without elevator service. DBS proceeded to refer the case to Feuer’s office.
The 16 misdemeanor charges name CCOA and Gong Toy, also known as Donald Toy, who is listed on California corporate registration documents as CCOA's CEO and president. All counts are punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment in county jail for up to six months, or both.
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