VAN NUYS, Calif. — Van Nuys is known as the “Heart of the Valley,” but these days, Avi Kaiserman says, there’s not much of a heartbeat.

“They see how little anybody cares for Van Nuys so they’re more prone to litter their trash, so we have a lot of litter just from regular customers,” said Kaiserman, vice president of Herman Berman, a family-owned business that makes awards.

It’s been a Valley staple since 1983, but he says the parking lot has been the site of all kinds of problems.

“It looked like somebody was burning clothing,” he said as he pointed to an area on the ground still scorched. “It’s turned into a bathroom for a lot of people. It’s just an absolute trash bin,” he said.

And then, he says there’s the constant and costly hassle of removing graffiti. Kaiserman went up to the rooftop, which is littered with writing, but since it’s out of sight, he doesn’t waste time covering it up.

“That is just an uphill battle because every time you paint over it, you’re essentially creating a new blank canvas for the next person to graffiti,” he said. 

“We noticed we had a lot of people camping in the recess area of our entrance and leaving us a lot of trash and a lot of human waste behind which we’ve had to clean on a regular basis.”

It got so bad during the pandemic that they now keep the front gate closed permanently to prevent people from just wandering in, even at the risk of keeping out potential customers, who now have to ring a bell in the back to enter.

“It’s very embarrassing for us, of course, and it makes you consider moving,” he said. “Some clients are even afraid to come here, to be honest. They would rather have their items shipped that actually come to Van Nuys and pick up.”

Like other small business owners, Kaiserman feels stuck. He has compassion for the unhoused and those who have nowhere to turn, but “when it starts encroaching on your business and your life and you start to become responsible for these people, it becomes your business,” he said.

The store is his livelihood, and he wants a leader who can figure out a way to take the burden off businesses

“I see Burbank. I see Glendale. I see other districts where the businesses are protected by their leaders, and I feel that’s sorely lacking here in Van Nuys,” Kaiserman said.

He feels whoever can get finally get the job done in District 6 would certainly be deserving of an award.

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