VAN NUYS : Coalition Formed to Address Concerns

Property owners in a Van Nuys neighborhood with a history of crime have formed a coalition to try to solve problems such as troublesome tenants who might be drug dealers.

The Delano/Erwin Owners Coalition, a group of about 20 apartment and home owners on Delano and Erwin streets, plans to recruit other property owners to work on common problems.

“If you own property in an area and you don’t live in it, it’s very difficult to obtain any information about criminal activity about your property,” said Assistant City Atty. Mary Clare Molidor, who helps coordinate the meetings. “What we’re trying to do is get the owners together on a regular basis so they can express their concerns and get various city agency representatives to address them.”

The group’s next meeting, at 9 a.m. May 1 at the Van Nuys Division of the Los Angeles Police Department, will teach property owners how to evict undesirable tenants, discourage neighborhood drug deals and reduce gang activity.

Elaine Holzer, who owns an apartment complex on Delano, said she hopes that the new coalition will help bring tenants back into her building.

“I’ve had some experiences with people on dope and drug dealers. The group should help clean things up,” Holzer said.