Santa Monica's City Attorney's Office announced three tenant-protection actions on Oct. 27, including two court victories and a new lawsuit alleging landlord harassment.

The cases, reported by the Santa Monica Mirror, include a court-ordered settlement involving disabled veterans, an appellate victory preserving 15 affordable housing units and a civil complaint targeting the owners of a rent-controlled building.

Court orders landlord to accept veterans’ housing vouchers

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Bradley S. Phillips approved a stipulated judgment against landlord Lawrence Lee Boydston. City prosecutors had accused Boydston of refusing to accept federal Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers from two elderly military veterans and blocking installation of a motorized chair lift they needed for physical disabilities.

Under the court order, Boydston must accept the veterans' VASH vouchers, process all program paperwork and allow the stair lift installation. He must also adopt a written fair housing policy, complete city-approved property management training and pay a monetary penalty, according to the Mirror.

Appellate court upholds affordable housing deed restrictions

In a separate ruling, the California Court of Appeal affirmed a lower court decision protecting low-income housing rules at the Dorchester Condominiums, a 42-unit development at 1034–1050 4th St.

Property owner Chiang Juei Sung purchased a unit in May 2018 and later tried to evict a low-income tenant, Patch reported. Sung argued that a 40-year expiration provision in the original development agreement meant the restrictions had ended in February 2022.

The appellate court upheld restrictions requiring Sung’s unit to remain affordable rental housing for 40 years or the life of the development, whichever is longer. The original development agreement designated eight first-floor units for low-income households and seven for moderate-income households.

The court also upheld a $144,210 attorney fee judgment against Sung. Former Deputy City Attorney Gary Rhoades led the case for more than five years before retiring in September 2023, according to the city. Prosecutors have filed motions seeking additional fees and interest from the appeal.

The appellate decision, issued March 10, was not published, meaning it generally cannot be cited as precedent in other California cases.

Deputy City Attorney Jonathan Erwin-Frank said the city's Below Market Housing Program fills a gap left by traditional rent control, which covers only units built before 1979. The program is "a vital and increasingly important part of the city's mission to prevent and reduce homelessness," Erwin-Frank said.

New lawsuit alleges harassment on Harvard Street

The City Attorney's Office also filed a civil complaint against the owners of a six-unit rent-controlled building on Harvard Street. The suit names Kevan Tschekaloff, Caley Tschekaloff and Diane Tschekaloff, individually and as trustee of the Diane Tschekaloff Inter Vivos Trust.

City attorneys allege the owners waged a campaign of coercion against long-term tenants, many of them seniors who have lived on the property for decades, according to the Mirror. The complaint alleges the owners trained surveillance cameras at residents' windows, issued unlawful eviction notices with threats of police action, retaliated against tenants who reported code violations and ignored repair orders from county health officials regarding hot water shutoffs, mold and collapsing plaster ceilings.

The allegations have not been tested in court.

The city seeks an injunction against further harassment, appointment of a qualified third-party property manager, restoration of removed housing services and completion of repairs ordered by public agencies. It also seeks removal or relocation of surveillance equipment aimed at private areas, civil penalties, statutory damages, enhanced penalties for conduct targeting elderly tenants and punitive damages.