County Shuts Down Casa Linda Motel After Repeated Code Violations
SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) — It's a problem property now shut down by Sacramento County for repeated code violations.
The Casa Linda Motel on Folsom Boulevard is being forced to close and its business license is being revoked after code enforcement officers chronicled years of violations, including bed bugs, mold, cockroaches, holes in walls, and leaking faucets.
Motel owner Michael Lu says it's a case of big government taking on his small business. He feels unfairly targeted.
"We gradually complying," Lu said. "They have a big power."
Lu agreed to take CBS13's Steve Large inside one $75-a-night room. Inside, the bathroom sink was unusable.
"It looks like the sink is backed up," Large said. "So people can't live like this right?"
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"Of course," Lu said. "I have to repair. Normally we have a screen inside."
Large asked Lu if he would spend the night here.
"If you needed a place to stay with your family, would you stay here?" Large said.
"Yeah, for this price, yes," Lu said.
Sacramento County says in a two-year period, between 2016 and 2018, deputies also responded to 174 calls for service, most involving calls for suspicious subjects or vehicles.
Surrounding the motel is a residential neighborhood and next door is Saint George Church, which just moved in a year ago.
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"When we first purchased this property. We did a tremendous amount of cleaning, we cleaned up over 30heroin needles strewn across the property just to make it a safe place," Father Hezekias Carnazzo said.
Now the Casa Linda Motel will be no more.
"No fair," Lu said.
After so many code violations, Sacramento County would rather have an empty lot.
County Supervisor Don Notolli represents the area where the motel is located. He says in his 40 years serving Sacramento, he can only remember half a dozen times the county revoked a business license.
