A billionaire’s son and his graffiti-scarred mansions roiling Hollywood Hills

With its shattered windows and cartoonish graffiti, the mansion on Mulholland Drive sits like a gaping wound in the Hollywood Hills. Broken glass spills out onto the narrow hillside road where tourist buses and others slow down to gawk at the mansion that sits like a colorful disaster. “We’ve become known for the graffiti mansion,” a neighbor said, who asked for anonymity over privacy concerns. “It’s so embarrassing to have this in the heart of the Hollywood Hills.” The owner of the mansion issued a formal apology Thursday to his neighbors and the city of Los Angeles after The Times contacted his attorney about the neighbors’ complaints. The Mulholland Drive home is one of two homes owned by 40-year-old TV and film producer John Powers Middleton. “What’s happened to the two properties I own is unacceptable, and no matter what caused it, I own the houses,” Middleton said in his first statement since his homes gained national attention. “Given the persistence of the numerous trespassers, it’s a struggle.” He explained that his private security and property managers at his properties were overwhelmed by trespassers and vandals. In recent weeks, vandals descended on the Hollywood Hills to leave their mark with...