Landlord May Face Criminal Complaint

A Moorpark landlord, who owns a group of 14 small bungalows and housing with more than 200 building violations, has failed to come up with a schedule to fix the hazardous living conditions.

The Moorpark city attorney will file a formal criminal complaint against landowner Lynnette Scaroni, ordering her to abate the nuisance, Assistant City Manager Richard Hare said.

At least two of the 14 residences across from City Hall are expected to be torn down, and another five may be razed, according to city officials, who said Scaroni could not afford to repair many of the shanties.

The buildings are home to more than 60 people. Since the safety violations--including leaky roofs, exposed wiring and cracked walls--were noticed in April, two families have already been evicted.

The Times reported erroneously Thursday that the city and the landlord had reached an agreement at a Wednesday meeting. After Scaroni failed to attend that meeting to work out details for the demolition and repairs, city officials decided to turn the matter over to the courts.

A judge is expected to order Scaroni to come up with a detailed schedule.

“We also will want to see where these families are going to be housed while repairs are done,” he said.

Scaroni could not be reached for comment.