For as long as Yaniv Evan has lived in the 600 block of North Martel Avenue, he could remember his neighbor digging around in the garbage outside right before trash day.
“If I’m up at 6 in the morning, he’s out there already,” Evan said. “It looks like he has a flashlight on his head and he’s out there digging.”
Evan, who also owns a motorcycle shop called Powerplant in the area, has lived on the same block in the Fairfax District for 15 years. And for all that time, he said his neighbor — Raymond Gaon, 72 — has been hoarding trash in his brown Spanish-style stucco home.
Gaon’s yard, sandwiched between two newly renovated mansions, is filled with 3-foot-high stacks of trash bags, clothing, bottles and cans. Over the years, the house has garnered the attention of neighbors, news media and local politicians alike.
Gaon declined to be interviewed in front of his house Tuesday. He was sitting in a lawn chair underneath an umbrella in the yard surrounded by plastic bags.
“I have no comment,” he said. “I don’t want to be harassed.”
The standoff has sparked a mixture of anger, anxiety and compassion in the upscale neighborhood of expansive Spanish Colonial homes.
A friend of Gaon’s, Tonya Lee Jaynes, previously told The Times that Gaon is a Vietnam veteran who keeps a strict recycling regimen to make money. Gaon also has a biology degree and lets the vegetation in his yard overgrow so he can observe butterflies and other insects, she said.
“He’s a one-man operation, and this is how he makes his money,” Jaynes said at the time. “He’s not bothering.”
Another neighbor who lives across the street said he believes Gaon should be viewed with compassion.
“He’s an old man. He should be given a chance to get help,” said Robert, who didn’t want to be identified by his last name, citing privacy concerns. “I don’t think he should be punished. It doesn’t bother me but if I was a next-door neighbor, I’d understand.”
But others are frustrated by the city’s inability to solve the problem.
Evan said that after Gaon’s house first attracted widespread attention two years ago, news helicopters swarmed the neighborhood. The whole street was closed off for days and bulldozers were brought in to remove the trash.
Weeks later, the garbage was back.
“That guy can’t go to jail,” Evan said. “He’s not like a criminal like that, but maybe a criminal case to fine him or get him to understand it’s been cleaned up and we’re happy, and then it happened again. Like, you can’t even imagine how quick. A few weeks later, it was already starting to stack up again.”
According to Evan, Gaon used to reside on the property with his brother, but has lived alone in recent years.
“I’ve never been inside, but I know it’s the same,” he said of the home. “I heard there’s like stacks of newspaper.”
In 2024, Mayor Karen Bass visited the home and declared it a “public health emergency,” prompting a city cleanup.
Bass’ office said this week that a criminal case against Gaon is ongoing and the court is considering appointing a conservator, “which would serve as the responsible party to ensure that property never deteriorates into this condition again.”
“It is extremely disappointing that the owner of this private property has once again allowed the conditions to disintegrate and neighbors are forced to live near this mess,” her office said in a statement. “If appropriate legal action is not expedient, we will pursue all actions necessary to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health said in a statement that patient privacy prohibits health providers from publicly discussing specific cases.
“The programs offered to Los Angeles County residents include both generalized services and specialized programs for veterans, children, transition-aged youth and older adults,” the department said. “LACDMH is committed to assisting the most vulnerable members of our communities find the services and supports appropriate for their needs.”
Hoarding is a mental health condition recognized by the the American Psychiatric Assn.’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. While not itself illegal, the consequences of hoarding could violate California penal codes that prohibit public nuisance, including causing “unsafe and unsanitary conditions visible to neighbors.”
Hoarding may also violate building, health and fire codes in California if exits are blocked or if there are any vermin infestations.
If someone doesn’t comply with cleanup orders or warnings, they can be fined for code violations by local agencies. In more serious cases, they could face misdemeanor or felony charges for maintaining a public nuisance or reckless endangerment. The courts could also impose probation, mental health treatment and property inspections.
Olivia, who also didn’t wish to be identified by her last name, has lived on Martel Avenue for four years and is planning on moving soon. She’s concerned she won’t be able to sell her home for as much as it’s worth because of the trash across the street.
“I feel really bad for him … but it’s been horrible,” she said. “We live near him so it’s affecting all of us for sure. It’s kind of sad that he goes through other people’s trash. We always see him with his cart walking down the block.”
Olivia has noticed cockroaches in her home and believes they’re attracted to the trash. She said Gaon also keeps an RV nearby. It, too, is filled with garbage.
“I’m a little harsh. I think they should fine him and get him out. It’s just not right for us,” she said. “You can feel bad for someone, but you don’t have to want to live next to them.”
Evan, who rents his home with his girlfriend and two sons, said that he’s interested in buying Gaon’s house and has asked him about it, only to be rebuffed.
“I ask him all the time. I’m like, ‘Will you sell me the house?’ I’m sweet to him, because I’m like, one day I’m going to get that house and just tear it down because the neighborhood is my neighborhood, you know?” he said.
According to property records, the home last sold in December 1994 for $144,000, and Gaon is identified as the current owner. The 1,032-square-foot home is now estimated to be worth about $1.3 million.
“If you live somewhere for so long, you kind of don’t really see things around you change too much because you’re doing the same thing every day,” Evan said. “Like he’s been doing his routine. Meantime, this whole neighborhood’s changed, and the neighbors have changed, and you have families here now. … The demographics changed, but he hasn’t.”
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