Owner of abandoned Hollywood Hills mansions provides update on cleanup efforts: 'Significant progress'

The proprietor of two Hollywood Hills mansions that had been overrun by squatters and taggers said determination has been "significant progress" made successful the cleanup efforts.

"I’m pleased to study important progress: The crews I hired person cleaned up each of the graffiti astatine some of my houses," John Powers Middleton said successful a connection sent to Fox News Digital.

"I person besides been speaking to City Councilmember Raman’s bureau and different City officials to update them connected the progress. I convey them for their efforts. We are besides successful interaction with LAPD to guarantee the neighborhoods stay safe," Middleton continued.

John P. Middleton, a movie shaper and lad of Philadelphia Phillies proprietor John S. Middleton, faced erstwhile backlash arsenic the 2 Hollywood Hills mansions became eyesores successful the ritzy Los Angeles neighborhood.

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John P. Middleton, movie shaper and lad of Philadelphia Phillies proprietor John S. Middleton, issued an apology for his abandoned Hollywood Hills mansions that had been taken implicit by squatters. (KTTV/Instagram/johnpowersmiddleton)

"I volition proceed to bash everything I tin to hole these houses and support them escaped from graffiti. It’s pugnacious to bash fixed the transgression problems successful Los Angeles, but I’m determined to bash the close happening here. The 24/7 equipped information teams I hired volition stay successful place," Middleton said.

Middleton added that helium hopes the trespassers and vandals who did this volition beryllium held accountable. 

"There is simply a consciousness of invincibility amongst the vandals arsenic galore times the precise aforesaid radical arrested antecedently are returning and threatening our guards and the police. If thing isn’t done, they volition instrumentality to bash it again, not lone astatine my location but anyplace they choose," Middleton said.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) antecedently told Fox News Digital that the Hollywood Hills country has received and responded to 17 calls for work successful the 1700 artifact of Sunset Plaza Drive truthful acold this year.

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Taggers and squatters person targeted different abandoned mansion connected Sunset Boulevard. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)

Police said they person received 8 calls for prowler suspects, six calls for imaginable burglary suspects and 3 calls for work for vandalism.

"I’m doing my champion to marque the houses unafraid and hole them up, with the intent to merchantability each arsenic soon arsenic possible. I’m disappointed to enactment that adjacent arsenic I person worked this week to overgarment implicit the graffiti, vandals inactive managed to interruption successful and overgarment implicit the recently cleaned walls. Given the persistence of the galore trespassers, it’s a struggle," Middleton said successful a erstwhile statement.

"What’s happened to my spot is criminal, and I anticipation everyone caught volition beryllium prosecuted to the afloat grade of the law. No 1 successful Los Angeles should person to enactment up with squatters and vandalism that are retired of control," Middleton continued. 

L.A. City Councilwoman Nithya Raman told Fox News Digital that Middleton's lawyer has been successful touch, and they person been painting the property. 

"I americium pleased to study that earlier this week – aft 2 years attempting to marque interaction – an lawyer representing the spot proprietor reached retired to our bureau to notify america that helium volition beryllium taking accountability for the 2 abandoned Hollywood Hills mansions and taking work for each payments the City has incurred frankincense far," Raman said successful a statement.

"The proprietor has since issued a missive of apology to neighbors and is moving to unafraid some properties and cleanable them up, with the intent to merchantability arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. The proprietor has besides hired contractors to repaint some properties, which should beryllium completed wrong the adjacent fewer days, and is backing 24/7 information astatine some sites," Raman continued. 

Raman said that neither concern is being taken lightly and that the metropolis is moving to combat the contented astatine some properties located astatine 7571 Mulholland Drive and 1754 N Sunset Plaza Drive. 

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The abandoned mansion is legally owned by movie shaper John Powers Middleton, known for his enactment connected "The Lego Movie." (KTTV)

"Unfortunately, this is not a unsocial case: abandoned buildings are a pervasive contented for the city. While the Department of Building and Safety has the authorization to unafraid vacant properties if an proprietor fails to bash so, it simply does not person the resources to support up with enforcement," Raman said.

Raman added that the metropolis besides has the authorization to demolish vacant oregon abandoned properties if they are recovered to represent a nationalist nuisance, but helium said the protocols presently successful usage trust connected procedures and ineligible guidance that are much than 20 years aged and are not responsive to the existent needs connected the ground, wherever they person truthful galore abandoned properties and truthful fewer metropolis unit to travel up connected occupation properties. 

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"My bureau volition proceed to beryllium successful adjacent interaction with DBS and LAPD to show the Hollywood Hills properties successful the coming days and weeks, and we volition enactment to guarantee that the spot proprietor continues to instrumentality afloat work for decently securing these sites," Raman said.

John Powers Middleton is champion known for his enactment connected the films "Oldboy" (2013) and "Manchester by the Sea" (2016).