HomeMy WebLinkAboutHelp with LA County Health DepartmentCAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.
Dear Andrea and Superviso r Solis:
Our family would like to meet with you in person to share what we have been going through with the LA County Health Department. The purpose is to bring to
your attention the deficient, inadequate, and weak protocols the county adheres to regarding investigating for mold within a unit. We respectfully request a
meeting to discuss this matter further. We would like to provide you with documents that the California Department of P ublic Health and SB 66 5 have
provided as guidance for addressing water damage, dampness, visible mold, and mold odor. Perhaps with yo ur aid, the LA Department of Public Health can
also incorporate such measures in dealing with inspecting a unit fo r mold.
Please contact us at your earliest convenience.
Since rely,
The Garispes
134 4 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Unit B
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
(626) 373-82 85
On Feb 14, 2025, at 4:04 PM, Amedee Garispe <amedee.garispe@gmail.com> wrote:
Good Afternoon Ms. Moreno:
Thank you for the follow up; our family really appreciates you and Supervisor Solis’ help with advocating for our safety.
The carpet tack strip is exposed in the transition from the entryway to the living room and the nails were not all fixed. They only fixed one nail, no t
the entire strip.
I have been in contact with Officer Fernandez from the Diamond Bar office of Building and Safety abo ut the railing and we were told by her to
follow up with the he alth department about the railing/fence. We have been informed that the upstairs fenc e is actually the responsibility of the
owner, not the HOA, so the owner may be trying to pawn o ff their responsibility.
I have stressed to the county health inspector that mold needs to be professionally remediated. The property manager nor his in-ho use handyman
have the expertise no r safety knowle dge to do so.
Sanding/scraping of the poro us affected areas of the cabinetry and wall will not eradicate the mold bec ause mo ld already penetrated. The kitchen
area has not been dried out with a dehumidifier like we have asked the property manager to do. The cabinet is warped due to the water and the
flooring is coming up. The property manager and handyman worked at the condo on 1/24/25 and the handyman returned alone on 1/25/25. There
has been cosmetic changes, yet the problem of the mold continue s without being remediated. The handyman did not clean his work area as he left
dust and debris from sanding/scraping the mold.
I attached the CDPH’s Mold Boo klet link to help illustrate what needs to be done. The property manager and handyman have not taken the correct
steps necessary. In fact, they are do ing the opposite, which will help the mo ld to grow and release even more mold spores because using bleach is
ineffective.
Fixing Dampness and Mold P ro blems
The California Health & Safety Code (HSC §1 7920.3) says that when dampness or visible mo ld (or certain other conditions in a home is a hazard
to the health of occupants, the ho me is substandard and the property owner must fix the conditions. The Co de excludes mold that is
"minor and found on surfaces that accumulate moisture as part of their properly functioning and intended use."
CDPH reco mmends fixing dampness and mold pro blems as fo llows:
identifying and correcting the source of any water that may allow mold to grow
rapid drying or removal of damp materials
cleaning or removing mold and moldy materials as rapidly and safely as possible
Note: if a mo ldy area is simply bleached, cleaned, or painted over-without fixing the source of the dampness-the mold is likely to grow again.
I hope you can relay this to the county health inspector.
Thank you for putting in a referral to the DCBA. The c ontact number is (626) 373-8285. If we don’t pick up, one can leave a voicemail.
Sincerely,
Amedee Garispe
On Feb 14, 2025, at 2:32 PM, Moreno, Andrea <amoreno@bos.lacounty.gov> wrote:
Good afternoon Ms. Garispe,
The Public Health Department reported the followi ng on Fe bruary 13, 2025:
On 1/15/2025, staff investigated the complaint CO0447657, with allegations of exposed nail in the carpeting and sharp wood shards, and dilapidated
upstairs patio railing. Exposed nail and dilapidated upstairs patio railing was observed and an OIR was issued to the owner with a revisit date of
2/5/2025.
On 2/5/2025, revisit revealed exposed nail was abated, however the dilapidated upstairs patio railing was not, as the owner claims it is the
responsibility of the HOA. A referral to Diamond Bar City Building & Safety was made for the patio railing.
Also, on 2/5/2025, during the revisit, additional violations of mold (about 1 ft by 1 ft) and leaking pipe were observed and another complaint
CO04451380 was generated Revisit by Public Health Department will be conducted to verify compliance by the end of February 2025.
CO0447614 was canceled because it was duplicate as complaint CO0447657.
Please send me your phone number so I can make a re ferral to DCBA.
Thank you,
Andrea
From: Amedee Garispe <amedee.gari spe @gmail.com>
Sent: Fri day, February 14, 2025 1:31 PM
To: More no, Andrea <amoreno@bos.lacounty.gov>
Cc: First District <firstdistrict@bos.lacounty.gov>
Subject: Re: Help with LA County Health Department
CAUT ION: External Email. Proceed Responsibly.
Dear Ms. Moreno:
Hope you are having a nice Valentine’s Day. I am following up from your 2/6/25 email and my 2/7/25 reply.
With the recent rainfall, we have experienced leaks from the upstairs patio which is still a major safety hazard due to the missing
fence. Furthermore, there is a musty odor emanating from the garage. Any information that you can share regarding your office’s
mold inquiry with the LA County Health Department? I am attaching pictures.
Sincerely,
Amedee Garispe
On Feb 7, 2025, at 1:04 PM, Amedee Garispe <amedee.garispe@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Ms. Moreno:
Thank you for replying. Our address is: 13 44 S. Diamond Bar Blvd. Unit B, Diamo nd Bar, CA 91765 .
Yes, a referral to speak to a counselor at the DCBA would be helpful.
A major contention is the mold. Our landlords and now the property manager have done only the minimum to address it.
Our health is in decline due to their ne gligence o ver the years. I am attaching pics of just some of the mo ld that has
plagued the unit. This needs professional remediation and not a cover-up cosmetic job by a handyman. We retained an
independent testing o nly company on 12/6/24 with confirmation results on 12/11/24 . In addition to that, we contacted a
mold remediation company. They tested various areas in the kitchen that are saturated with water. We understand that the
California Health & Safety Code (HSC §1792 0.3) excludes mold that is "minor and found on surfaces that accumulate
moisture as part of their properly func tioning and intended use.” This does not apply to our unit because the chronic leak is
neither minor nor on surfaces that accumulate mo isture as part of their properly functioning and intended use. One can
only imagine the state of water damage and mold inside the walls. Ho pefully your inquiry with the department will help
expedite and spur an investigation.
Sincerely,
Amedee Garispe
On Feb 7, 2025, at 8:24 AM, Moreno, Andrea <amoreno@bos.lacounty.gov> wrote:
Good Morning Ms. Amede e Garispe,
My name i s Andrea Moreno and I assist wi th matters in Diamond Bar. Thank you for contacti ng the Office of Supe rvisor
Hilda L. Solis regardi ng your conce rns wi th your re ntal unit. I wil l be sendi ng an inquiry with the Health Department
regarding the reports you mentioned.
Could you se nd me the address of the unit so I can include i n the inqui ry?
Separately, about the tenancy letter you re ceive d from your l andlord, I am includi ng a link to the Stay Housed LA website
for your reference: https://www.stayhousedl a.org/ . Pl e ase let me know i f you are interested in a direct refe rral to the LA
County De partme nt of Consumer and Business Affairs to speak with a counselor about the letter you rece i ved. If so,
kindl y provide your phone number so I can make the referral to the department.
Warm Regards,
Andrea Moreno
District Director
San Gabriel Valle y Field Office
1441 Santa Anita Avenue
South El Monte , CA 91733
(626) 350-4500
hi l dal sol i s.org
<image001.png>
<image002.png>
<image003.png>
<image004.png>
From: Ame dee Gari spe <amedee.garispe@gmai l .com>
Sent: Thursday, February 6, 2025 6:40 PM
To: First District <firstdistrict@bos.l acounty.gov>
Subject: Help with LA County He al th Departme nt
CAUT ION: External Email. Proceed Responsibly.
Dear Supervisor Solis:
We are a disabled elderly couple who have been renting in the city of Diamond Bar for 13+ years. Our unit
has various deficiencies which government agencies are looking in to, such as, exposed nails in the carpet
and dilapidated fencing that has collapsed. The landlords and property manager have neglected proper
maintenance and executed poor plumbi ng repairs since 2020 which promoted mold growth. The unit has
been in violation of California's implied warranty of habitability. The landlords were made aware many times
during inspecti ons and via letters/emails we sent. The new property manager (who is a realtor/broker, as well
as the son of owners) was also made aware through various communication methods. Unfortunately, all three
parties have failed to remediate the mold professionally nor adhere to the CDPH’s mold booklet (attaching
link below). Consequently, our health is being negatively impacted. We have complaints with the LA County
Health Department, Complaint Numbers: CO0372000, CO0447614, and CO0447657. After two visual
inspections, the agency is still slow to file an actual report against the landlord/property manager. Since we
have exercised our tenants’ rights by contacting government agencies, the property manager has served us
with a termination of tenancy letter, with the threat of an unlawful detainer. As your constituents, we are
pleading for help in regard to the LA County Health Department. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Amedee Garispe
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/cls/dehl/ehl/CDPH%20Document%20Library/CDPH_Mold_Booklet_2021-
May12.pdf