L.A. Produce Market Owner Faces Charges

LOS ANGELES -- One of the city's busiest produce markets was slapped with numerous criminal charges Monday, after a hidden-camera investigation by a local television news program revealed unsanitary conditions and rodent infestation among the 75 stalls that make up the facility. City prosecutors charged the owner, developer Richard Meruelo, as well as a top manager of the 7th Street Market, which sells fruit and vegetables primarily to restaurants and caterers in the region. Eight misdemeanors in all were filed against the pair, including several related to a rat problem; others addressed unsanitary operating conditions and hazardous construction. The action comes at a time when television news crews have been focusing on similar problems around the country. Several quick-service restaurants in New York City were shut down recently after footage taken from outside the windows of one Manhattan eatery showed rats frolicking on tables, seats and the floor while the establishment was closed.