Slumlord to Be ‘Wired’ During House Arrest

Slumlord Milton Avol, a Beverly Hills physician whose sentencing two years ago to live in one of his blighted buildings set a precedent, will again break new legal ground Monday when he dons an electronic surveillance device to make sure he stays there.

Avol, 63, was ordered by Los Angeles Municipal Judge Veronica Simmons McBeth on Thursday to wear a bracelet that will warn authorities if he strays more than 150 feet from his apartment during his 30-day sentence.

Deputy City Atty. Stephanie Sautner said it will be the first time in the county that a prisoner has worn the device.

“I would feel that was the most degrading part of the sentence,” she said.

When asked about his client being the first to have the electronic bracelet, defense attorney Don Steier quipped, “We’re honored.” Steier said his client was willing to serve his sentence and did not think that the device was an extreme imposition.

Avol was ordered by McBeth to begin his sentence at 9 a.m. Monday. The start of the sentence was delayed two years by Avol’s appeals.

In June, 1985, the judge sentenced Avol to 30 days in jail and a month under “house arrest” in an apartment for a probation violation stemming from his conviction on various health, fire, building and safety code violations in another of his five apartment buildings.

The landlord was due to be released at midnight Thursday from the sheriff’s Marina del Rey detention center, where he served only 15 days of his 30-day sentence. The sentence was reduced because of good behavior. At a hearing Thursday, the judge announced the conditions of Avol’s confinement.

The bracelet will link Avol to his telephone and monitor his compliance, alerting authorities if he strays from the apartment. McBeth said he can have visitors and food brought in, but he must stay within 150 feet of the telephone at all times during the night. By day, he can work in the apartment making repairs, the judge ruled.

Avol became the first landlord to receive the novel sentence after failing to make court-ordered improvements in his buildings. Since 1977, Avol has been charged with hundreds of code violations and has been sued by tenants of his buildings.

“I’m satisfied that he’s finally going to serve his time,” Sautner said. “The punishment fits the crime.”

Complaints From Tenants

Tenants of a run-down Hollywood apartment building have often complained about their absentee landlord, who let the place run down and wasn’t around to hear their complaints. But starting Monday, they’ll only have to look down the hall to find him.

Avol will serve the sentence in his apartment building at 1660 N. Western Ave.

Vitelia Romero, whose family has lived in the building for a year, said the stay may make Avol care more about the residents, if not the structure.

“He will see what’s really happening here,” said Romero, an 18-year-old Belmont High School senior. “He’s the one responsible for things that happen here because the people aren’t bad . . . he’s a bad landlord and he doesn’t care about the building.”

Others were less certain.

“Well, I don’t see how it can be much of a punishment,” said one longtime resident who refused to give his name. “The apartment he’s moving into isn’t going to be like the rest of them.”

Not So Squalid

The man said Avol has “fixed up” the apartment where he’ll serve his novel sentence, making it safe from the rats, pests and squalor that residents normally encounter.

But another resident, who also would not give her name, said that while she was uncertain that the punishment would do any good, “who knows? Maybe he’ll change after he sees a couple of the rats in his kitchen.”

Steier said his client has shown good faith by making repairs to the building, but Sautner said any improvements were a quick-fix in anticipation of selling the property, the only building Avol owns in the city. Building Inspector Ernest Padilla said the building is still out of compliance with city codes.

“It’s a lot nicer than it was two years ago,” Sautner said, “but it’s still a slum.”

He Blamed Residents

Avol has contended that the run-down condition of his buildings resulted from unruly residents. Steier also sought Thursday to shunt some of the blame to the tenants, speaking of their “shared responsibility” for the building’s condition.

“I suspect he will keep his apartment a lot cleaner than the other tenants,” Steier said.

But residents disputed Avol’s assertion and said he wasn’t around enough to know what actually happens in the building.

“He doesn’t come around here much, the only time he’s here is when he has comes for rent money or to kick someone out,” Romero said. “Now he will see what goes on.”