City officials cited at least a dozen unlicensed business this week which were operating as illegal boarding homes and commercial nursing facilities during a joint investigation with police and state officials, the city manager said.
The illicit businesses were visited Tuesday and Wednesday by code enforcement officers, Monterey Park police officers and officials from the California Medical Board, Monterey Park City Manager Paul Talbot said.
On Tuesday, code enforcement officers cited four homes that had been illegally converted into unlicensed boarding homes, Talbot said.
In some cases, “There were maybe 20 to 30 people living in a two- to three-bedroom home,” he said. Additionally, the homes showed signs of numerous unpermitted modifications.
Investigators Wednesday visited another 8 to 10 homes operating as “commercial nursing homes,” Talbot said.
They primarily appeared to cater to new mothers recovering from childbirth, he said. The exact number was not available Thursday.
No arrests were made during the two-day operation, Talbot said.
The two-day operation resulted in citations and orders for the illegal business to shut down, however no one was arrested, Talbot said.
“They’re all code enforcement items,” he said.
Police deferred all comments to the city manager’s office.
The California Medical Board also declined to comment on the agency’s presence in Monterey Park this week.
“All investigations are considered confidential by law,” California Medical Board spokeswoman Jennifer Simoes said in an email.