By Rachel Uranga, Matt Hamilton, Ruben Vives | Los Angeles Times
Apex Development Inc., owned by Ahmad Anthony Nowaid, failed to pay rent on the 48,000-square-foot triangular lot at South Alameda and East 14th streets for more than a year, and owed $78,000, according to Caltrans, which sued the company for back rent in September.
The property was one of five that Caltrans was attempting to evict Apex and another Nowaid company from, including a plot along the 5 Freeway in Sun Valley and another a block away from the fire. All told, Nowaid owed about $620,000 to Caltrans in unpaid rent as of September, the agency said in court filings.
The lease for the land where the fire occurred said the property could be used only for parking operable vehicles and “open storage”; other uses required the approval of Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration, something the company does not appear to have secured. Nor was Apex supposed to allow the storage of inoperable vehicles, flammable materials or other hazards.
Fires regularly broke out in encampments around the property, but calls to police or for cleanups often went unheeded.
Rudy Serafin, tenant who rented space from Nowaid
While Caltrans required Apex to hold $5 million in liability insurance, fire insurance was specifically omitted from the lease agreement, according to a copy of the agreement filed in court.
Source: Los Angeles Times