Recently, residents living near an old motel complained to the Los Angeles City Council about the rampant crime that takes place in and around the business. The Adams Garden Inn, located in the West Adams district of Los Angeles, is home to several low-income tenants that claim the crime comes from people outside the area. The tenants were worried that local residents’ complaints to the city council would result in the forced closure of the property, leaving the tenants homeless. Fortunately, the city council is not going to close the motel; the meeting between residents and the council resulted only in more stringent conditions for the motel’s continued operation.
According to the LAPD, one of the most prominent criminal activities taking place at the Adams Garden Inn is prostitution. Covered under California Penal Code 647(b) PC, prostitution is a misdemeanor with a number of different potential penalties. First-offenders face up to 6-months in county jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Second-offenses include a minimum of 45-days in jail, with third-offenses increasing the minimum mandatory jail sentence to 90-days. If a car is involved, the offender can have their license suspended for up to 30-days, or be issued a restricted license for up to 6-months.
