In late July, residents of a Sylmar neighborhood breathed a tentative sigh of relief when their problematic neighbor Cruz Florian Godoy was ordered to shut down and vacate the makeshift RV park on her property that was overflowing with tenants and literally leaking human waste onto local city streets. But almost one month later, it seems like it was before, according to neighbors.
“Nothing has really changed – there are still people living there, the RVs are still there and the smell is still terrible,” Nancy Roman Caino told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol, adding that they have not received any answers from the office of local Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez. “We just don’t know what to do anymore; we don’t know who to talk to to get real answers.”
When Godoy went to court on July 26, she was fined, charged with two misdemeanors and given 45 days to clean up the property and remove all of the RVs. In addition, she was ordered to vacate all of the tenants. Her next court date will be Sept. 7, when she is expected to report on the status of the mandated clean up. But although Caino estimates that about 80 percent of the tenants seem to have left, she said that many people still appear to be living on the premises.
Although some old furniture and other trash have periodically been moved to the curb and hauled away, she said she hasn’t witnessed any other progress. Worst of all, the foul odor of human waste that has permeated the neighborhood on and off for years remains, said Caino.
“The terrible odor continues, especially at night … and the smell is just unbearable,” she said.
“My neighbors and I keep asking ourselves and each other, what is happening? That’s our main question: what is happening?” said neighbor Maria Macias, who lives in a home located on a side street directly behind Godoy’s property. “Why doesn’t anyone do anything? Why does everything continue to be the same? Who is going to finally resolve this problem?”
According to Caino and Macias, power at the property remains shut off, but generators can still be heard operating at all hours and people can be seen arriving and leaving throughout the day.
“The noise [from the generators] continues – it’s very strong, all the time,” said Macias. “I hear it all night long and sometimes it doesn’t let me sleep, even with all of the windows closed.”
In response to complaints by Caino, Macias and others who reported that chemicals were being sprayed throughout Godoy’s property, inspectors from the LA County Department of Public Health have been seen entering the site, but neighbors haven’t been notified of any findings.
“The courts have made their orders explicitly clear that the property needs to be vacated and RVs removed,” said Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez in a statement provided to the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol. “The September 7 hearing will determine whether the property owner has complied with court orders and will remand further penalties and consequences at that time if the property owner violates compliance orders. As this property continues through the judicial system, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety [LADBS] and the Los Angeles Police Department [LAPD] have continued monitoring the property.”
The San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol called the local office of the LA County Sheriff’s Department – who are believed to have served Godoy with an eviction notice to vacate her property – to inquire if they follow up on eviction notices, but they refused to comment or answer any questions about the Hubbard Street property.