Homeless took over a graffitied building and lot. Van Nuys residents want action

The five-story building spray-painted with graffiti sits at the corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and Gault Street, a block south of Sherman Way in Van Nuys. Next door lies a vacant lot which, until a week-and-a-half ago, was the site of a trash-strewn homeless encampment. For years, residents and nearby businesses have pleaded with Los Angeles city officials and other representatives to address what had become not only a visual blight but a public safety issue as well. “It’s a complete eyesore and has graffiti all over it,” Kathleen Harden, a 34-year Van Nuys resident said of the abandoned building at 7101 Sepulveda Blvd. “This type of a situation would not be permitted in Encino, Woodland Hills, other parts of the Valley, let alone Los Angeles. Why it’s been permitted to exist in Van Nuys is typical of how we’re (treated like) second-class people here.” A building and lot in the 7100 block of Sepulveda Blvd in Van Nuys, CA. before authorities cleared out people living there on Friday, May 17, 2024. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) A building and lot in the 7100 block of Sepulveda Blvd in Van Nuys, CA. before authorities cleared out people living...