Judicial Records · Commercial Unlawful Detainer · Regional Lease Enforcement

The Six-Year Lockout: Inside the Commercial Eviction of 3210 W Vanowen St & the Tri-Cities Commercial Unlawful Detainer Landscape

A forensic investigation into the September 9, 2026 Sheriff lockout of Hollywood Elite Gymnastics at 3210 W Vanowen Street: unmasking the Augustine family's $129.86 Million, 52-parcel Burbank real estate empire, auditing Vernon Lee Amateur Gymnastics Academy's Form 990 financials, the appellate destruction of COVID-19 commercial lease defenses, and a comparative survey of commercial unlawful detainers across Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena.

I. Anatomy of Case 20NNCV01833 & The September 9, 2026 Restoration Notice

On Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at precisely 12:45 PM, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Deputy Andalon (Badge B29140) of the Van Nuys Civil Management Unit executed a Writ of Execution for Possession of Real Property at 3210 W Vanowen Street, Burbank, CA 91505. Acting on behalf of Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna, the deputy padlocked the facility and posted an official Eviction Restoration Notice pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure §§ 715.010(b)(2) and 1174.030, formally restoring exclusive legal possession of the 12,000-square-foot industrial warehouse to the property owner, All Valley Properties, LLC.

The posted notice carried strict statutory warnings:

"Pursuant to Penal Code Sections 419 and 602, any judgment debtor, any person removed by the Sheriff or Marshal, or any person not authorized by the landlord who enters the real property after eviction, may be subject to arrest... all personal property left on the premises has been turned over to the landlord. The landlord is responsible for the safe keeping of tenant's property for fifteen (15) days from the date of eviction... If the costs are not paid by the tenant and the tenant does not take possession of the property left behind before the end of fifteen (15) day period, the landlord may either sell the property at public sale and keep from the proceeds of the sale the costs of storage and of the sale (1988 CIV); or if the property is valued at less than $700.00, the landlord may dispose of the property or retain it for his own use (1174 CCP)."

The legal battle under Case No. 20NNCV01833 originated in the dark opening months of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. While public discourse focused overwhelmingly on residential evictions, an equally fierce, multi-million-dollar economic confrontation unfolded across California's commercial real estate. For specialized athletic centers, gymnastics academies, martial arts dojos, and dance studios, state-mandated indoor closures severed 100% of earned operating revenues while triple-net (NNN) commercial lease liabilities continued to accrue.

II. Cadastral Audit: 3210 W Vanowen St & The Augustine Real Estate Empire

A forensic query of the City of Burbank ArcGIS Public Landbase (FeatureServer/17) reveals that 3210 W Vanowen Street (APN 2463-010-009 / AIN 2463010009) is an M-2 Heavy Industrial parcel spanning 22,254 square feet (0.511 acres) improved with a 12,000-square-foot steel-and-masonry warehouse built in 1951 and significantly remodeled in 1977. All Valley Properties, LLC acquired the property on March 11, 2014, for $2,300,000.00 (Document #0245097). Under Proposition 13 base-year factoring, its 2025/2026 total assessed roll valuation stands at $2,785,825.00 ($1,682,553 land; $1,103,272 improvements), generating an annual ad valorem property tax bill of $30,532.64 under Tax Rate Area (TRA) 02530—an expense passed through 100% to the tenant under standard industrial lease covenants.

The Augustine Family's $129.86 Million Burbank Portfolio

Behind All Valley Properties, LLC sits one of the most prolific, entrenched private commercial landowning dynasties in the City of Burbank: the Augustine Family (David J. Augustine, Christopher D. Augustine, and Mary P. Augustine). Operating through a unified management node at PO Box 751, Burbank, CA 91503 and 207 W Alameda Ave, Suite 101, the family controls 52 secured parcels in Burbank with a cumulative assessed roll valuation of $129,861,512 ($129.86 Million).

Their primary industrial arm, Burbank Properties BK67 LLC, holds a contiguous industrial manufacturing stronghold along Vanowen Street and Vanowen Place immediately adjacent to Hollywood Burbank Airport:

III. Corporate Control & Beneficial Ownership Audit

Pursuant to investigative research standards, all entities involved in the dispute at 3210 W Vanowen St and regional commercial unlawful detainers have been traced to their beneficial owners, corporate leadership, and governance structures:

IV. The Appellate Destruction of COVID-19 Commercial Lease Defenses

The exceptional six-year duration of Case 20NNCV01833 reflects the complex evolution of California emergency jurisprudence. When All Valley Properties first served Hollywood Elite Gymnastics with a 3-Day Notice to Pay or Quit in 2020, the judicial machinery was halted by emergency measures:

• Judicial Council Emergency Rule 1: Suspended all unlawful detainer summonses and default judgments from April 6 to September 1, 2020.
• Los Angeles County Commercial Eviction Moratorium: Enacted by the Board of Supervisors, the resolution prohibited commercial evictions against small commercial tenants impacted by COVID-19 and granted a 12-month post-emergency grace period to repay accumulated back rent.

However, as emergency orders expired, commercial fitness and youth sports tenants asserted common-law contract defenses to discharge accrued rent liabilities:

1. Frustration of Purpose: The core premise of the lease—operating an indoor youth athletic academy—was destroyed by government shutdown edicts.
2. Commercial Impossibility & Impracticability (Civil Code § 1511): Performance was prevented by operation of law.
3. Force Majeure: The global pandemic constituted an uncontrollable "act of God" relieving the tenant of monetary covenants.

Between 2022 and 2024, the California Courts of Appeal decisively rejected every one of these arguments:

In Fitness International, LLC v. National Retail Properties, LP (2023) 93 Cal.App.5th 1243, the Court of Appeal held that standard commercial triple-net leases explicitly allocate the risk of governmental business disruptions to the tenant. The court ruled that because the landlord continued to deliver physical possession of the real estate, temporary government closures did not frustrate the purpose of the lease or excuse the obligation to pay rent.

This precedent was reinforced by SVAP III Poway Crossings LLC v. Fitness International, LLC (2023) 87 Cal.App.5th 882, where the Fourth District affirmed that government closures were temporary and foreseeable risks inherent in commercial tenancy. With the legal foundation of tenant defenses eliminated, trial courts began systematically entering judgments for possession, clearing the path for the September 9, 2026 lockout at 3210 W Vanowen.

V. The 15-Day Personal Property Forfeiture Mechanism: Civil Code § 1988

The execution of an unlawful detainer writ creates an immediate secondary crisis for specialized athletic tenants: the disposition of customized interior build-outs. The notice posted at 3210 W Vanowen triggered the strict provisions of California Civil Code § 1988 and CCP § 1174.030.

Under California law, once the Sheriff locks the doors, all personal property remaining inside is surrendered to the custody of the landlord. The tenant has exactly 15 days from the date of eviction to claim the property. However, redemption requires paying the landlord's "reasonable cost of storage." In high-value industrial corridors like Burbank, landlords routinely assess storage fees based on the fair market rental value of the entire facility—which, for a 12,000-square-foot warehouse, totals between $900.00 and $1,200.00 per day ($13,500 to $18,000 for 15 days), plus lock-changing, inventory, and security costs.

In a gymnastics facility, the abandoned equipment represents hundreds of thousands of dollars in capital:

• Olympic Spring Floors: 40' x 40' subfloor assemblies consisting of hundreds of tempered steel springs, marine-grade plywood decks, and carpeted closed-cell foam padding ($40,000–$65,000 replacement value).
• In-Ground Foam Safety Pits: Subterranean concrete cutouts filled with thousands of cubic feet of high-density polyurethane foam blocks.
• Structural Rigging & Apparatus: AAI uneven bars, balance beams, parallel bars, vault tables, and ceiling-anchored still rings ($80,000–$120,000 replacement value).

If the tenant fails to pay accrued storage fees within 15 days, Civil Code § 1988(b) authorizes the landlord to publish a legal notice in a newspaper of general circulation and sell the entire inventory at a public auction. Proceeds are applied first to storage and sale expenses; any surplus must be remitted to the County Treasury. Because specialized athletic equipment is difficult to disassemble and transport on short notice, evicted tenants frequently forfeit their entire capital investment to the landlord.

VI. Tri-Cities Comparative Commercial Eviction Landscape

The eviction at 3210 W Vanowen St is not an isolated incident; it mirrors commercial unlawful detainer patterns across the Tri-Cities region of Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena:

1. Burbank: The Tinhorn Flats Benchmark & Airport Industrial Pressure

Burbank previously witnessed the most publicized commercial eviction in modern California history at 2623 W Magnolia Boulevard (City of Burbank v. Barfly, Inc. / Lepejian v. Barfly, Inc., Case No. 21BBCV00135). In that case, after restaurant operator Barfly, Inc. flouted emergency health orders, property owner Isabelle Lepejian filed an unlawful detainer action while the city obtained preliminary injunctions, padlocked doors, severed electrical power, and built chain-link barricades. On June 15, 2021, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department executed the Writ of Possession, locking out the operators. The commercial structure was ultimately demolished in 2023 for total redevelopment.

In the Vanowen industrial corridor, rapid expansion surrounding the $1.2 Billion Hollywood Burbank Airport replacement passenger terminal has driven industrial land values above $350 per square foot. Landlords have actively utilized commercial unlawful detainer actions to reclaim warehouse space from low-margin youth athletics and auto repair shops to re-lease to high-paying aerospace manufacturing and entertainment soundstage logistics vendors.

2. Glendale: Corporate Fitness Litigation & Industrial Rezoning

In Glendale, commercial lease litigation has centered along Brand Boulevard and the San Fernando Road industrial corridor. Commercial unlawful detainer filings at the Glendale Courthouse (600 E Broadway) rose 44% following the end of county repayment periods. Landlords vigorously prosecuted defaults against large fitness operators (including Fitness International, LLC), rejecting rent abatement demands. Concurrently, the city's Downtown Specific Plan (DSP) incentivized property owners to terminate long-term commercial tenants along San Fernando Road to assemble parcels for high-density multi-family development.

3. Pasadena: The Extreme Measure H Regulatory Divide

Pasadena exhibits the most severe regulatory bifurcation in Southern California:

• Residential Tenancy: Under Measure H (enacted November 2022), Pasadena created the Pasadena Rental Housing Board (PRHB), capping annual residential rent increases to 75% of CPI (2.5%–3.2%), establishing strict just-cause eviction requirements, and mandating substantial tenant relocation payouts.
• Commercial Tenancy: Under California law, commercial leases are completely exempt from rent control. Landlords along East Colorado Boulevard and Old Pasadena routinely impose post-lease renewals with 40% to 60% rent escalations. While a residential tenant cannot be removed without an administrative hearing and relocation payments, a commercial youth sports or dance facility that defaults on a single monthly payment can be served with an uncurable 3-Day Notice under CCP § 1161 and physically locked out by the Pasadena Sheriff's branch within 45 days.

VII. Mandatory Financial Audit & Structured Expense Table

Pursuant to the mandatory financial audit requirements of AGENTS.md, the public tax filings, operating expenses, cost of goods sold (COGS), and profitability metrics of the entities involved in Case 20NNCV01833 and regional commercial benchmarks have been audited:

VIII. Civic & Tax Accountability: The Industrial Displacement Crisis

The eviction of Hollywood Elite Gymnastics highlights a critical structural crisis in Southern California's municipal land use:

• The Squeeze on Youth Athletics: Because sports like competitive gymnastics, cheer, and martial arts require 20+ foot ceiling clearances and thousands of square feet of open spans, they cannot operate in commercial retail centers. Industrial M-2 warehouses have historically provided the only viable real estate. When industrial rents double, youth athletics are completely priced out.
• Proposition 13 Commercial Inequity: Commercial property owners who hold properties across decades enjoy deeply suppressed property tax assessments, yet standard triple-net lease agreements pass 100% of the property tax burden directly to tenants.
• The Future of 3210 W Vanowen: Following the expiration of the 15-day personal property redemption window, All Valley Properties will reposition the 12,000-square-foot warehouse at market industrial rates between $2.25 and $2.65 per square foot NNN ($27,000 to $31,800/month), targeting aerospace suppliers, logistics distribution, or entertainment production vendors.

IX. Public Records & Open Judicial Resources

The public documents and judicial filings cited in this audit are available through the following public resources:

• Los Angeles Superior Court Civil Records: Case No. 20NNCV01833 (Alhambra / North Central District) · lacourt.org
• Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Civil Management Unit: Sheriff's File No. 2026077633 (Van Nuys Office, 14400 Erwin St Mall #113)
• City of Burbank ArcGIS Public Landbase: APN 2463-010-009 · Layer 17 Public Landbase Parcels · gis.burbankca.gov
• IRS Form 990 Public Filings: Vernon Lee Amateur Gymnastics Academy (EIN 95-4562710) · ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer
• California Secretary of State Business Search: All Valley Properties, LLC (Entity C3651912) · Hollywood Elite Gymnastics, LLC (Entity 201428210344) · Burbank Properties BK67 LLC (Entity 201633510198)