By Jorge Casuso

March 26, 2025 -- A Sunset Park motel Santa Monica officials claim has long been a public nuisance will close down after the City's decision to revoke its business license was upheld on Monday.

The forced closing of the Pavilions Motel at 2338 Ocean Park Boulevard comes after the City's hearings examiner issued a written decision upholding the city’s June 2024 revocation.

The decision comes as the City Attorneys Office filed a lawsuit in State Superior Court last May claiming the motel has been a "hotbed for drug activity" and other illegal behavior that have tormented neighbors.

The lawsuit filed, which is ongoing, alleges the longtime owners, defendants Saeed and Goharshad Farzam, have been warned and put on notice but "have heeded none of these warnings."

A month after the lawsuit was filed, the City revoked the motel’s business license claiming the owners were "maintaining the motel as a public nuisance, including as a site for drug and disruptive activities and dangerous conditions."

After a six-day hearing last November, the hearing examiner upheld the City's revocation and gave the owners the chance "to regain the license if they complied with certain conditions during a 90-day period," City officials said.

"Among other requirements, the owners were ordered to hire qualified overnight staff, abate all code violations and provide the Santa Monica Police Department with access to motel security cameras," officials said.

At a hearing held after the 90-day period ended, the examiner found that the owners "did not comply with all conditions and could therefore not reinstate their business license."

On Monday, the hearing examiner upheld the City’s decision last June to revoke the business license.

Under City policy, "the owners cannot obtain a new business license with the city for one year and the motel must remain closed while the license is revoked."

The City’s ongoing civil lawsuit "also seeks closure for a year, monetary penalties and other relief to abate the nuisances," officials said.

The lawsuit alleges that despite law enforcement efforts, the motel -- which is near Clover Park -- is "a hotbed for drug activity, fights, prostitution, building violations, and other quality of life issues."

The 20-page lawsuit alleges that the "rampant drug activity" is "connected to a constant stream of loud noises, dangerous conduct, and other disruptive activities emanating from the Motel, all of which torment neighbors."

Saaed Farzam, who has run the motel with his wife, Goharshad, for 35 years, has countered that he has complied with the City's requests to address the issues raised but contends the Police Department is not doing enough to fight the criminal activity.

According to the lawsuit, the Pavilions Motel was the target of a joint code enforcement and police operation in 2007 that resulted in the arrests of several people, including Saeed Farzam, and the temporary closure of the motel.

Since November 2023, the SMPD has dedicated at least 100 man-hours to policing the area surrounding the motel, according to the lawsuit.

“The Pavilions Motel has had an outsized impact on the community and on the deployment of police resources for years,” Police Chief Ramon Batista said in a statement when the lawsuit was filed.