By Randall Yip, Executive Editor

(This story is made possible with the support of the University of Southern California Center for Health Journalism Impact Fund, Fund for Investigative Journalism and AARP)

An investigator with the California Department of Social Services has confirmed vagrants have broken into a former senior care home in Los Angeles and squatted there.

The Sakura Intermediate Care Facility once housed dozens of mostly Japanese American residents until its corporate owner Pacifica evicted them in 2021 to make way for market rate housing.

Three years later, construction has yet to begin, leaving families of those evicted wondering why their loved one were evicted in the first place.

It’s a question that remains unanswered as Pacifica has yet to publicly reveal its plans for the site.

Sakura ICF sits on the same lot as an assisted living center also owned by Pacifica, Sakura Gardens, which is still in operation.

Staff at Sakura Gardens confirmed to the investigator that they observed homeless cut holes into the fence behind Sakura ICF and illegally occupy the building.

The fence is owned by Caltrans or the California Department of Transportation.

A report written by an investigator and examined by AsAmNews stated “there were multiple holes cut into the fencing along the ICF building, as well the fencing along the 101 freeway through which homeless have been coming into the facility campus. LPA (Licensing Program Analyst) also observed that there were rooms along the basement of the facility that had been broken into by the vagrants to use as rooms to sleep in and found mattresses inside these rooms as well. LPA also observed that there were shards of broken glass along the floor of the main campus of the facility next to the ICF building, which were part of the windows of the ICF building that the vagrants have broken while squatting in the building.”

The report is dated May 9 of this year.

AsAmNews sent a reporter to the grounds this past weekend. He found numerous broken windows at the former Sakura ICF. However, we did not find any signs of vagrants in the area.

The Department of Social Services did not respond to our questions about whether the situation had been brought under control.

Traci Imamura of the non-profit, Save Our Seniors, leads a family council for families at both Sakura Gardens and the former Sakura Intermediate Care Facility. She says the findings by the Department of Social Services saddens her.

“It just continues to remind me what we lost,” she told AsAmNews by phone. “They haven’t found a place yet where we feel secure to send our elders if we need to.”

Imamura alleges security on the grounds has declined since Pacifica took over.

One senior resident living at Sakura Gardens told an investigator they have been made uncomfortable by the homeless at the facility.

According to the investigator’s report “This resident stated that about a week ago a homeless individual came from the ICF building area of the facility and began following the resident, who then proceeded to retreat into the main lobby of the facility due to being uncomfortable.”

Multiple residents have also complained their phone service has been disrupted. Some have alleged that the homeless squatters have been stealing the copper wiring at Sakura ICF and from the main back up power generator. They blamed that action for their phones not working.

Four staff members confirmed to the investigator that the wiring had been tampered with. An investigator observed that many of the components from the backup generator had been stolen and he also confirmed that the fax lines had not been working for a length of time he did not specify.

AsAmNews talked to a representative of Pacifica who said she would have an appropriate person respond to our inquiry by deadline. We have yet to hear back.

Pacifica bought four senior homes from the Japanese American non-profit, Keiro, back in 2016. The sale for $41 million has been criticized by vocal members of the Japanese American community who feel Keiro betrayed the trust of the community which had supported it to provide quality care for decades.

“It’s been over eight years since the sale of the former facilities,” said Beverly Ito, executive director of Keiro in a statement sent to AsAmNews. “Through our own Quality of Life programs, caregiver conferences, and accessible
educational resources, Keiro continues to enhance the quality of senior life in our community.”

In its 2022 tax filing with the IRS, the latest available, Keiro lists its total assets at $81 million.

“So they decided that they’re going to get rid of the 50-year-old community health system and basically get the money from selling it and just play the stock market,” said David Monkawa of Save our Seniors by video conference. “It wasn’t like the place is going broke. It was a non-profit. They weren’t making any money, but they weren’t going broke.”

An investigation by AsAmNews found repeated COVID health related violations at Kei-Ai Los Angeles, one of the other facilities sold to Pacifica by Keiro. 115 residents died of COVID during the pandemic, the highest number of deaths in California among facilities of a similar size.

Investigators have also found a handful of violations at the Sakura Gardens. Among the most serious violations, an investigator substantiated a complaint in February that a resident sustained multiple falls due to neglect

In May, another investigator concluded staff improperly administered medication.

“Just seeing this last batch of reports (from investigators), I do feel they are doing a good job and seem to be out visiting more often-even more timely,” said Imamura. “It doesn’t take as long as to follow up on a complaint.”

AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.

We are supported through donations and such charitable organizations as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This holiday season, double your impact by making a tax-deductible donation to Asian American Media Inc and AsAmNews. Thanks to an additional benefactor, all donations will now be matched up to a total of $12,000.

Please also follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and X.

Related