California's Slum Landlord King

Mike Nijjar's property empire is huge. Much of it is also dirty and dangerous to live in.

LAist has mapped out the extent of Mike Nijjar's property empire in Southern California and how it is built on the suffering of California's poorest citizens. An interactive map in Deceit, Disrepair and Death Inside a Southern California Rental Empire shows just how many properties Nijjar's PAMA company owns in California. The map shows the huge number of parcels of land which are owned by PAMA. It also colors each of these parcels of land by median household income to show how many of these properties are located in California's poorest neighborhoods.

The LAist article explore some of the dirty and lethal conditions which can be found in PAMA properties. It also reveals how regulators and cities across California are aware of the conditions in PAMA properties but how they rarely hold the company accountable. The LAist explores some of the reasons why regulators are so poor at holding slum landlords like Mike Nijjar accountable. These reasons include having different departments responsible for regulating different building codes, poor tenants being scared to report rich and powerful landlords, and regulators who receive little funding from cash-strapped cities.

Mike Nijjar, his family, and associates also own 170 different companies and corporations. This obviously makes it much more difficult for tenants and the authorities to know who ultimately owns and is responsible for a neglected property.