The Public Safety Committee on Oct. 11 passed an ordinance allowing for greater enforcement of so-called “party houses,” an issue that Councilman David Ryu, 4th District, has championed over the past year.

In November of 2016, the City Council unanimously approved Ryu’s motion instructing the city attorney, in coordination with LAPD, to draft an ordinance regulating “party houses.” The ordinance now heads to the Planning and Land Use Management Committee for a vote before heading to the City Council floor.

“I am pleased to see this ordinance pass the Public Safety Committee, as the issue of out-of-control Party Houses is, at heart, an issue of public safety,” Ryu said in a news release. “All-night parties with hundreds of guests crowding narrow streets in the hillsides block the right-of-way for emergency vehicles and consume the time and resources of our police officers who, at present, have no recourse to actually solve the problem.

“This ordinance would finally provide a solution,” he continued. “Escalating fines and penalties against both the tenant and the homeowner would ensure that this small minority of unruly party houses do not disturb and threaten the public safety of everyone around them. “I look forward to this draft ordinance being heard in PLUM, and urge my colleagues on that committee to consider this issue and prioritize residents’ safety and quality of life.”