Resident presses case against landlord harassment amidst city bureaucracy

 

 

 

I used every resource that the city offers: two mediation hearings and  two rent reduction hearings.

 

The City’s prosecutor has had a case opened for two years—but it seems like they mostly try to get landlords to comply vs. getting them to press criminal charges as the statute states.

 

Thanks,

Matthew

 

Video Transcript:

 

My name is Matthew Arnold, and I’ve lived in a rent-controlled apartment for over 20 years in West Hollywood. In 2020, two new managers, Brent and Hayden Zacchi, took over management and waged a relentless campaign of harassment and retaliation, all geared at trying to get me to move out. I want to break down the evidence for you here. This, of course, is the shortened version. There’s a much longer work in progress—a 45-minute documentary cut right now. I will be sharing that with you once it’s complete. This is primarily just an assembly of the evidence for Mr. Tetzlaff, their attorney.

 

Let’s start with UD-1, the first unlawful detainer filed against me—an eviction. It began as an effort by Brent Zacchi to get the air conditioner removed from my bedroom window. The air conditioner had been installed for over 14 years; it was actually the second model in that window. The previous manager, Matt Zacchi, had given verbal permission for it to be there, and it was installed safely. I slept underneath it for 14 years and never had any worry. UD-1 was about having a window air conditioner in a bedroom and paint on the interior walls of the balcony, both of which they claimed were substantial lease violations. I disagreed and fought it. Typically, in LA County, an unlawful detainer case takes about 21 days, but with improper filings, efforts to mask evidence, and other delays, the Zacchi brothers extended this trial to 15 months. I was under the threat of eviction for that entire time. They dropped off a three-day notice on October 14th. In California, a three-day notice gives the tenant three days to correct the issue. This was a notice to perform or quit—not to pay or quit, just to perform, meaning I could fix the alleged lease violations. I didn’t think these were reasonable since they’d already been allowed, so I didn’t comply. They filed the eviction anyway on October 25th.

 

I believed I was in the right for several reasons. My lease has a handwritten addendum in two places stating I’m allowed to paint any wall as long as I return it to white when I move out. Additionally, about six months before the eviction filing, on June 3rd, they sent an email notifying us that an air conditioning inspector would visit the building. Two inspectors came to my apartment, checked the window unit in the living room and the one in the back bedroom, turned both on, and assessed them without tools like a thermometer—just feeling the air to see if it was cold. They filed a report with the Zachies, but nothing was repaired. So, I had a lease agreement allowing the paint and an inspection of the air conditioner. Filing an eviction over these exact issues felt more like harassment than anything productive. The trial lasted 15 months, ending with a verdict four days before Christmas on December 20th. After a two-day jury trial, the jury unanimously ruled in my favor, finding no substantial lease violation, so I wasn’t required to leave. The verdict also confirmed I owed zero dollars in back rent or otherwise.

 

During that first eviction, I paid my rent on time every month using paper checks, Bank of America checks, and various methods. Each time, the rent was returned, despite the eviction not being for nonpayment. Their letter simply said, “We are no longer accepting rent from you,” without any legal basis or timeline for resumption. After the eviction ended in January, I paid the rent on time without issue. Ten days later, I emailed them asking if it was a good time to discuss replacing the carpets—a simple repair request—but they ignored it. Shortly after, on February 6th, I received another three-day notice demanding $12,903.03 for nine months of prior rent. Despite the jury ruling I owed nothing, I paid it in good faith. On February 9th, I emailed Brent Zacchi, informing him the check was mailed the previous day and would likely arrive by February 15th, including a screenshot confirming the delivery date. On February 21st, their lawyer wrote that they had the check but doubted it was mailed on time, requesting proof. I obtained a letter from Bank of America verifying it was mailed on February 9th and sent their lawyer the email I’d sent Brent.

 

Even so, they filed a second unlawful detainer for nonpayment of rent, despite their lawyer confirming on February 21st they had the check. In West Hollywood, evictions require just cause, and here, only nonpayment would qualify. Since payment was received, I don’t understand why they filed—unless it was to harass me. The second UD was dismissed because the three-day notice was defective, requiring me to personally deliver a check to a PO box, which is impossible and violates California law. I filed a motion to demur, and it was sustained. Then, on October 3rd this year, I received another three-day notice demanding rent from November 2023 to October 2024. I’d been paying the new management company, and they cashed those checks. I showed their lawyer the proof, yet Brent continues using the eviction court to harass me and push me out. I responded to the notice with a letter, but they didn’t reply. The bank confirmed six months of payments, but neither the management company nor Brent will provide a payment record.

 

Reflecting on these three eviction attempts, I noticed a pattern of retaliation. Not only did my lease permit painting the balcony, but Brent reimbursed me for the paint because I did the labor myself. California’s retaliatory eviction act prevents landlords from using eviction courts to harass tenants. I read this to Brent weeks after he filed, so he knew he was breaking the law, which prohibits unlawful detainers within 180 days of certain tenant actions, like reporting habitability issues or filing complaints—such as rent reductions from West Hollywood. I helped my neighbor Carlos during the pandemic when the Zachies tried evicting him 10 days after his spouse’s death, claiming he wasn’t on the lease despite living there—a clear violation of local law. I sent them a letter titled “Zacchi Family Values,” explaining its illegality, a protected act under California Civil Code 1942.5 as I organized tenants to assert our rights. I also won two rent reduction hearings: $96 monthly the first time, $375 the second. Three days after the $375 reduction, they filed an eviction, ignoring the 180-day waiting period required by law. The harassment persisted. The day after I reported their unpermitted construction to the city, they banned me from using my shower, delaying repairs for 71 days, claiming they awaited permits they hadn’t applied for until 31 days later.

 

During the shower repair, the Zachies committed multiple privacy violations. On the day repairs began, Brent and his handyman Calvin entered my apartment, video recording everything without notice or consent, as if trying to catch me out. Three times, Brent and Amy Zacchi recorded inside my home. When I asked Brent if he owned a Pocket Osmo camera, he said, “Yeah, but not that I had with me that day,” evasively dodging follow-ups. Later, he admitted to it when shown a photo of him holding it. We subpoenaed the footage during the trial, but he produced only one frame. Another time, Brent refused entry with a contractor unless I consented to recording. He brought a police body camera he couldn’t operate, resorting to his iPhone. After 71 days, the contractor finished but left dust everywhere, neglecting to cover anything. I complained, and though the Zachies denied responsibility, they sent a cleaning lady for a 10-minute wipe-down. Amy escorted her in, then roamed my apartment, recording my living room, dining room, and kitchen in front of my doggy cameras—intimidating and unnecessary. She texted the videos to Brent. When we requested them, they submitted only audio extracts, named like iPhone files, clearly manipulating evidence.

 

Brent admitted instructing Amy to record but refused to say if recording tenants’ units without consent was standard, dodging with, “You can subpoena it,” yet never fully complied. He also threatened to remove my storage property multiple times—on April 5th and June 24th he didn’t show, but on July 2nd, he discarded everything not in the “proper” spot. California law requires landlords to hold such property, but he didn’t. The next day, he let higher-paying new tenants use that space, admitting he’d bend rules for others but not me because I “make life difficult” and stick to the letter of the law. He misrepresented facts, emailing on May 7th that the city banned window AC units, requiring wall installation—a claim debunked by West Hollywood’s rent stabilization division. He coached Calvin to echo this in an “expert” letter, yet withheld those texts from discovery, showing bad faith.

 

There were three protected acts they retaliated against: reporting unpermitted construction—twice with jackhammers and no permits, and once installing an outdoor camera before serving an eviction. The shower delay stemmed from a permit applied for on August 16th, despite starting July 14th. Their malice shone in texts: when I asked about the shower fix for my mother’s visit, Brent sent it to Hayden, who replied, “karma.” They mocked me as “crazy” for requesting Calvin’s license number, with Calvin calling it “free entertainment,” Brent laughing along. They showed no respect for a 20-year tenant with a spotless payment record, aiming to vex and annoy me into leaving.

 

I’ve diligently pursued these claims, asserting rights I should’ve been protected under from the start. My protected acts should’ve barred evictions, yet I faced two and a third threat. This has brought years of anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, and poor job performance. As a freelance filmmaker, I’ve nearly stopped working, bogged down by this ordeal. I hope we can agree to end this harassment and abuse. I present this evidence to show the timeline, the malicious omissions, and manipulations through documents and communications illustrating their behavior.