Hotels’ owners face city charges

The Los Angeles city attorney’s office announced Thursday that it had filed misdemeanor criminal charges against the owners and operators of two downtown Los Angeles residential hotels for failing to correct fire code violations.

The 36-count criminal complaint alleges that Amerland Group and its principals failed to repair broken fire protection systems and clear blocked fire exits at the 12-story Alexandria Hotel on Spring Street. They also failed to fix a broken system at Rosslyn Lofts, a 12-story building on Main Street, according to the complaint.

The fire protection systems at Rosslyn, formerly the Frontier Hotel, were in such disrepair that the owners were supposed to ensure that the building was patrolled by employees around the clock under a so-called fire watch ordered by the Los Angeles Fire Department. The owners failed to patrol the building, the complaint alleges.

In a statement released Thursday night, Amerland officials expressed puzzlement over the action.

“We’ve met with the Fire Department and City Attorney on several occasions on these issues,” they wrote. “We have and continue to work closely with them on a regular basis. The parties agreed on a timetable and work-program that is literally days away from completion.”

Both buildings are being renovated but still have occupants.

An arraignment is scheduled for May 21.

--

-- Robert J. Lopez