L.A. Mayor Garcetti orders power shut off at TikTok influencer house
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered the power cut at a swanky Hollywood Hills residence that police say held parties in violation of public health orders aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus and is the home of several TikTok stars, including Bryce Hall.
The house on Appian Way was the site of at least two large gatherings in recent weeks, police said.
Garcetti, who had threatened to cut off power and water to homes that defy rules about large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, made the announcement Wednesday. His statement didn’t include the address or details about its residents.
“With more than 2,000 Angelenos — and over 170,000 Americans — lost to COVID-19, we need every resident to undertake critical safeguards to stop the spread of this virus. That includes not hosting or attending parties that put themselves, their neighbors and many others at risk,” Garcetti said.
A phone call to a woman who helps manage the property, according to local residents, wasn’t immediately returned Wednesday.
Social media stars living together in upscale Los Angeles homes and documenting their lives on TikTok have become a trend, with this most recent group involving Hall calling themselves the “Sway House.” The group also held a party Friday night in Encino that drew police, a source said.
Police had twice visited the Hollywood Hills residence, first on Aug. 8 and then on Aug. 14 after complaints of noise, according to the mayor’s statement.
A spokeswoman for Sway House declined to comment.
Hall, who has 12.9 million TikTok followers, released a video Wednesday showing him dancing, along with another young man, to the song “Electric Love.”
“We will restore utilities when the order is made to do so,” Department of Water and Power spokesman Joe Ramallo said.
Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer, said the office has received a criminal investigation and is reviewing whether to charge the owner of the Appian Way party house. The home is owned by Frangipani Properties, according to public records.
Under the mayor’s directive, police officers who respond to a large party at a property can request the utilities be cut within 48 hours. Homes where parties regularly occur are the target.
Officials said this week that the city is considering cutting power to at least two other houses for violating coronavirus-related rules against social gatherings, according to police and city officials. Gatherings of any size of people from different households are prohibited under Los Angeles County’s coronavirus health order.
Los Angeles police officers issued citations for noisy gatherings at 13 homes last weekend, warning the hosts that they could have their utilities cut if they continued to hold parties.
Philip Enderwood, a member of the Bel Air-Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council, said the crackdown sends a message to scofflaws. “Although this is a win for the residents nearby, continued enforcement of the mayor’s directive in hillside communities will be a challenge,” he said.
The rise in influencer houses comes amid reports of house parties at which revelers shrug off concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and ignore warnings from public health officials that gatherings help spread the virus through the community.
Times staff writers Wendy Lee and Kevin Rector contributed to this report.
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