Garbage and junk have returned to a Fairfax District home once dubbed the “Trash House,” with new photos showing piles of debris at the property. The home on the 600 block of North Martel Avenue has become a recurring headache for neighbors and city officials.
According to CBS News, garbage and junk have returned to the home. The home is also buried in garbage, as reported by TMZ. The renewed mess comes more than a year after city crews cleared the site, according to the Los Angeles Times.
A Cleanup That Didn't Stick
City crews descended on the property in April 2024, citing health and safety concerns and hauling away roughly seven tons of debris, per TMZ's reporting. ABC7 reported that more than seven tons of trash had been removed and that the cleanup was continuing at the time. Either way, city officials had declared the property an imminent public safety and health risk, according to ABC7.
In April 2024, then-Mayor Karen Bass called the property a health and safety hazard. Bass's office also expressed disappointment that conditions had again disintegrated, per TMZ. Bass's team said in a statement that an open criminal case involves the property owner, CBS News reported. That matches reporting from CBS News, which says the mayor's office confirmed there is an open and ongoing criminal case against the property owner.
Flies, Smells and Frustrated Neighbors
Neighbors near the home told ABC7 that conditions have been worsening, with one resident saying, “the smell's been getting really bad, and we've noticed more flies and insects.” Westside Today also noted that residents have repeatedly reported the renewed buildup to city officials.
City and council offices have called the renewed mess disappointing, with Westside Today quoting officials who described it as “completely unacceptable” while noting that staff have been monitoring the homeowner's progress for more than a year.
Recycler or Hoarder?
The homeowner's friend, Tonya Lee Jaynes, has pushed back on the hoarder label, telling the Los Angeles Times that “this is how he makes his money,” referring to the piles of bagged materials. Per TMZ, Jaynes has claimed that the homeowner is a recycler rather than a hoarder and that the bags contain items he sells to recycling centers.
Property records reviewed by NTD identify Raymond Gaon as the owner of the two-bedroom home, where he has lived since the 1990s. The Los Angeles Building and Safety Department first cited him back in 2014 for garbage and debris, excessive vegetation, open storage and blocked driveway access, according to CBS News. That earlier case led to two misdemeanor charges before it was dismissed in 2019 following what NTD described as significant improvements to the site.
A Wealthy Neighborhood, A Persistent Problem
NTD reported that the neighborhood is wealthy and described the home as a million-dollar property, underscoring how incongruous the overflowing yard looks against its surroundings.
City leaders have also pointed to broader enforcement changes meant to address nuisance properties like this one. According to Los Angeles City Council District 7, an ordinance adopted in June 2026 is intended to give the city stronger tools to hold property owners accountable, remove dangerous conditions more quickly, and prevent nuisance properties from remaining unresolved for years. Whether that new authority will be applied to the Fairfax District property remains to be seen.
