Brief

The Los Angeles Housing Department introduced a matter on May 4, 2026, regarding property acquisition and disposition at 2219 West 15th Street under the Residential Equitable Acquisition Program (REAP). Council voted 11-0 on May 13, 2026, to continue the item to June 12, 2026, for further consideration. The file remains open and pending Council action.

Full summary

The Los Angeles Housing Department is asking the City Council to remove three open REAP cases (822488, 879964, 896292) tied to a four-unit rental property at 2219 West 15th Street in the 90006 zip code, owned by 15 Group Trust and Tia Berg. REAP is the city's Rent Escrow Account Program, which penalizes landlords for housing code violations by reducing tenants' rent and diverting those payments into an escrow account until repairs are completed. Placement in REAP is triggered by code violations serious enough to warrant enforcement action under Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 162.08. The oldest of the three cases, No. 822488, was opened in July 2023 after code inspectors cited the property for 13 violations covering structural hazards, sanitation, weatherproofing, and general maintenance. LAHD's Code Enforcement Division has since determined that all violations have been corrected. The property owner has also paid any outstanding utility charges owed to LADWP, and the tenant advocacy contractor Strategic Actions for a Just Economy provided an advisory opinion confirming the work was completed. The proposed resolution would accomplish several things: terminate the rent reductions currently in effect; restore rents to their original levels 30 days after tenants receive written notice; close the escrow account and disburse its funds first to cover LAHD administrative fees, outstanding penalties, and any unpaid rent registration fees, with any remainder returned to the landlord; and record a certificate with the Los Angeles County Recorder's Office formally releasing the REAP lien on the property. LAHD would also conduct a follow-up systematic inspection and require the owner to prepay fees for two additional annual inspections as a condition of exit from the program. The item was placed on the May 13, 2026, Council agenda and passed 11-0, but Council continued it to June 12, 2026, rather than taking a final vote. The file remains open pending that hearing.

Activity (4)

• 2026-05-13 Council continued item to June 12, 2026 .
• 2026-05-08 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on May 13, 2026.
• 2026-05-05 Los Angeles Housing Department document(s) referred to Council.
• 2026-05-04 Document submitted by Los Angeles Housing Department, dated May 4, 2026 (822488; 879964; 896292).

Documents (5)

• 2026-05-13 Speaker Card(s) · speaker_card
• 2026-05-10 Communication(s) from Public · communication
• 2026-05-04 Report from Los Angeles Housing Department (822488) · report
• 2026-05-04 Report from Los Angeles Housing Department (879964) · report
• 2026-05-04 Report from Los Angeles Housing Department (896292) · report