State Closes Care Facility; Cites Filth, Danger

Citing filthy conditions and danger to residents, state officials shut down a Lynwood residential care home Wednesday and threatened to close a similar facility in Gardena owned by the same man unless it meets fire safety standards by today.

The Department of Social Services closed the Hilton Retirement Center, an adult residential facility owned by Los Angeles businessman Sam Menlo. About 78 residents were moved to other locations after the order took effect.

“The clientele have all been placed, and the home is no longer operating,� said Kathleen Norris, a department spokeswoman. She said the department might allow Hilton to reopen if it came into compliance with fire regulations.

To avoid an immediate shutdown, Waldorf Manor in Gardena must relocate about 15 non-ambulatory residents to meet the Fire Code, she said. Waldorf Manor is licensed to care for only six non-ambulatory residents out of a total of 58 but has about 21 who have difficulty walking, according to state records.

Drastic Action

Such suspension orders are the most drastic action the agency can take.

“They are done when, in the department’s opinion, there is a clear and present danger to the clientele at the facilities,� Norris said.

Menlo, who operates Waldorf Manor with his wife, Vera, has a long history of conflict with state officials. In the 1970s, he was cited for more than 2,000 Health Code violations at several Los Angeles nursing homes. In 1979, a Huntington Park judge ordered Menlo to surrender his nursing home licenses in partial settlement of civil and criminal lawsuits he then faced.

Despite the nursing home problems, Menlo has remained in the residential care business, operating eight facilities in the Los Angeles area. The facilities, often known as board-and-care homes, offer meals and help with cleaning and other chores for those who have trouble handling such tasks by themselves.

Social Services officials made a long series of charges about conditions at Hilton and Waldorf Manor, mostly pertaining to supervision, safety and cleanliness. Norris said that a key problem at both facilities was failure to comply with the Fire Code.

Menlo could not be reached Thursday. Previously, he and his employees have disputed Social Services Department criticism or promised to correct problems. Menlo has two weeks in which to answer this week’s allegations.

In calling for the shutdowns, Social Services officials said Hilton residents stole food from each other, often got drunk and were not given medication. In addition, some residents were observed with soiled clothing and in need of dental care, officials said.

They also detailed an Aug. 18 incident in which a resident reportedly set fire to his own mattress.

Social Services officials also reported that a room at Waldorf Manor smelled of urine and mildew, and they said a resident there had hair matted with “cake-like flakes.�