The Renaissance Dump

The Renaissance Dump is located on public property in the alley next to the Cabrillo Hotel. It serves -at times - as an illicit waste transfer station for the residential tenants of the Cabrillo Hotel, the commercial tenants (7 Days Food Store, The Happy Diner, Godmothers Saloon), and maintenance staff for the Renaissance Group.

The Cabrillo Hotel building is owned and managed by The Renaissance Group whose CEO/President is Eric Eisenberg.

Mr. Eisenberg is also one of the founders and former president of the San Pedro Historic Waterfront District, commissioner and president of the Los Angeles Board of Transportation, a POLA High School trustee, and a past member of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, CRA Community Advisory Committee and several other prominent city boards and committees.

When I moved into the Center Street Lofts building in October 2014, one of the selling points not mentioned on the property listing was a view of  the chronic trash problem in the alley adjacent to and caused by the Cabrillo Hotel building, its tenants, and its managment. I was astonished by the quantity of mattresses and furniture that would appear in the alley next to the Cabrillo. For my own amusement I started documenting the constant parade of beds and fold-out couches. I assumed that the building was owned by an individual with a slum lord mentality and this kind of management was all that would be expected from the owner of a transient hotel. As I became familiar with the neighborhood, I learned that the owner of the property was also the president of the local Business Improvement District, and that he was relying on PBID funded services on a regular basis to clean up after his property.

In early January of 2016 I decided that holding the office of President of the Business Improvement District and being a chronic drain on public resources should be mutually exclusive roles, and that it would be appropriate for Mr. Eisenberg to relinquish at least one of these positions. At this time I contacted Mr. Eisenberg encouraging him to become a more responsible property owner and, for the sake of his tenants and the community, to provide adequate trash facilities at this location.

 

On 1/12/16 5:24 PM, Eric Eisenberg wrote:

Mr. Ecker,

I wish it were that simple,
We have seen an increase in illegal dumping in the alley, the problem we have is that when we lock the dumpster people break the locks at night, not to mention the furniture that magically appears. But, I don't need to tell you, your stuck looking at it as are we. Our plan is to install cameras and signage to try and catch the dumpers, until then, we do have employees checking and cleaning the alley.... ...under normal circumstances the can is more than adequate. as it is emptied three times a week. We want to get a handle on this as much as you do, it's not good for anyone.

Thank You,

Eric

 

Mr. Eisenberg's comment regarding furniture that "magically appears" struck me as both comical and disingenuous in as to date, most of the large items left in the alley "walked" out the front door of the Cabrillo Hotel, so I started keeping an eye out for the responsible magicians. The first Incident I was able to document was a employee of The Renaissance Group trucking a couch into the area for eventual pickup by Clean San Pedro. The Second Incident was on the same day by the same Renaissance Group employee - dumping a mattress and construction materials in another businesses dumpster.

 

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016, 10:37 AM, Bruce Ecker wrote:

Mr. Eisenberg,

In spite of your reassurances that under normal circumstances that the 3yd dumpster next to the Cabrillo hotel is adequate to service all the residents of the hotel, Godmother's bar, The Happy Diner and the liquor store... let me reassure you it is not. Even with your employees jumping up and down on the over fill, hauling the over flow to another location, and relying on Clean San Pedro, it is not enough capacity. You are facilitating this eyesore, health hazard and public nuisance and you are doing it on public property. Do I need to mention that in at least this respect I find your leadership in this community somewhat lacking?

Bruce Ecker

 

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016, 10:43 AM, Eric Eisenberg wrote:

Maybe living in an urban area isn't for you....

 

Based on his reliance on Clean San Pedro and the Beacon House Crew to augment and facilitate removal of trash and large items produced by his property, tenants and staff, it appears that Mr. Eisenberg is directly benefiting from services that are financed by the BID in as he is spared the financial cost of responsibly dealing with the waste generated at this location. This would put him in violation of ARTICLE III of the BY LAWS OF THE SAN PEDRO PROPERTY OWNERS ALLIANCE:

No part of the net earnings or assets of the corporation shall ever inure to the benefit of any director or officer of the corporation or to the benefit of any private individual whatsoever....

Numerous attempts to bring my concerns regarding Mr. Eisenberg's trash management problems to the attention of the current Executive Director of the Business Improvement District has elicited no interest on her part to acknowledge or deal with the source of the problem.

In hopes that someday, someone from the City of Los Angels or the PIBD board will have some interest in rectifying this ongoing issue, I present:


The Renaissance Dump
2014/2015

(click on images to enlarge)



The Renaissance Dump
2016

(click on images to enlarge)




On 5/31/16 11:27 AM, Lorena Parker wrote:

Bruce, The website you put up is in very bad taste and creates a bad image for San Pedro. Please take it down immediately! We have worked very hard to clean up the area. The photos date back to 2014 with the last one taken in March of this year.

Lorena Parker
Executive Director
San Pedro Property Owners' Alliance

On 5/31/16 11:41 AM, Bruce Ecker wrote:

Lorena

Sorry, I just haven't updated the site lately. Attached is what the the alley looked like this morning...



The Renaissance Dump
2017

(click on images to enlarge)