Cerritos Business Center Tenants Move Toward Legal Action Over Accessibility Dispute

The elevator at the Avanti Business Center in Cerritos has remained out of service since late June, leaving tenants, customers and visitors with mobility limitations without elevator access to businesses on the upper floors. Tenants are now preparing to pursue legal action against the building’s property management company. Photo Vincent Medina.

August 24, 2026

By Vincent Medina, Contributing Writer

CERRITOS — Tenants at the Avanti Business Center are preparing to pursue legal action against the building’s property management company after an elevator serving the three-story building has remained out of service since late June, creating accessibility problems that tenants say have cost them customers, disrupted their businesses and prevented some disabled and elderly clients from reaching upper-floor offices.

The Avanti Business Center, located at 17215 Studebaker Road near the Cerritos Auto Square, is managed by Sunny Hills Management (SHM).

A group representing 15 tenants has repeatedly contacted management about the elevator and other accessibility concerns, including the use of the building’s north parking lot by Kia for vehicle storage. Tenants say the arrangement has restricted access to ADA parking spaces and an accessible ramp leading into the building.

After weeks of emails, complaints to government agencies and several projected repair dates that came and went, the tenants met Monday to discuss their next steps. The group says it is preparing to hire an attorney to send a formal demand letter to SHM seeking a firm deadline for restoring elevator service and accessible parking.

The tenants have also filed complaints with multiple agencies, including an Architectural Barriers Act complaint with the U.S. Access Board. The board assigned the complaint a tracking number, although its acknowledgment confirms only that the complaint was received and does not constitute a finding that a violation occurred.

When the elevator initially went out of service in late June, tenants began sending individual emails to property management reporting problems caused by the loss of access to the upper floors.

Ray Khan, owner and founder of PCI (Professional Career Institute) College, and Lillian Flores, clinical extern coordinator at PCI College, later organized the tenants and sent a collective formal complaint to SHM on July 28.

The letter, signed by other tenants, said the elevator outage had resulted in canceled appointments, lost revenue and “created severe hardship for tenants, staff, customers, and individuals with physical disabilities.”

Tenants also raised concerns about restroom and building maintenance, exterior sanitation and maintenance issues, parking restrictions and the loss of accessible routes into the building.

Property manager representative Andrew Jeune acknowledged the complaint the same day and told tenants he had contacted the building’s ownership.

“I have spoken with ownership again to make this a daily priority,” Jeune wrote. “We will have a follow up to address these issues shortly.”

With the elevator still out of service, tenants escalated their complaints to corporate management on July 31.

Their letter said businesses had documented clients unable to reach upper-floor suites, canceled appointments, lost revenue and accessibility problems affecting elderly and disabled visitors.

“Staff have been forced to call out sick due to the ongoing requirement to climb stairs daily, which they are physically unable to do,” the tenants wrote. “This is directly impacting operations and employee health.”

Jeune subsequently told tenants that technicians were taking final measurements for the elevator and indicated on Aug. 5 that repairs would “hopefully” be completed that week. Tenants said the repairs did not occur within that timeframe.

Flores also told Jeune that the outage was interfering with operations at PCI College. An ultrasound machine used to train students is located on the first floor, she said, and cannot practically be moved upstairs while the elevator is unavailable.

At the same time, tenants were pressing SHM about the north parking lot, where Kia vehicles were being stored.

“Yesterday, you stated that Kia would be leaving, yet this has not been communicated to the tenants,” Flores wrote to Jeune on Aug. 6. “You also agreed to provide an update regarding both the elevator status and the north parking lot. Your email did not include this information.”

Flores said she contacted the Cerritos Community Development Department and was told that the use of the parking lot for Kia vehicle storage violated applicable parking requirements.

“Property management are the ones that authorized Kia to be there, but the city says they’re violating their parking permit,” Flores said.

Los Cerritos Community News was unable to independently confirm Flores’ account with the Community Development Department before publication.

Jeune told tenants on Aug. 7 that the Kia vehicles should be removed the following week. When the following week arrived, however, tenants said the elevator remained out of service and the vehicles remained in the north parking lot.

The accessibility problem became personal for Flores after she broke a toe and was unable to work on Aug. 10 because she could not climb the stairs to reach the upper floor.

By Aug. 13, Flores told SHM that tenants had received no meaningful update and were becoming increasingly frustrated.

“The tenants are collectively outraged by the continued lack of communication,” Flores wrote. “We remain without proper ADA accessibility, and several of us are experiencing business losses as a result.”

Flores said Jeune visited the business center the following day and discussed the elevator repairs with her. According to Flores, Jeune told her the repair would cost approximately $20,000 and that management was evaluating companies to perform the work.

Jeune later told Los Cerritos Community News that a company had been selected to repair the elevator but said he could not confirm the $20,000 figure.

“We have elevator repair issues that are currently being addressed and they should be made shortly,” Jeune said Tuesday. “It should be within the next week.”

Jeune said the remaining delay involved scheduling and obtaining necessary materials.

“It’s just a timing issue, and, with them, scheduling and materials,” he said.

Jeune also said the Kia vehicles should be removed from the parking lot by the following week, describing the vehicle storage as temporary.

“We try to handle every tenant request accordingly,” Jeune said. “And we value all our tenants and it’s our job to make repairs accordingly, and we want to keep them happy.”

Flores said tenants have heard similar assurances during the nearly two months the elevator has been unavailable and have grown frustrated with what they consider a lack of communication from management.

“His words are cheap,” Flores said. “He needs to learn how to communicate because as far as I’m concerned, him not saying anything means he’s not doing anything. Communication is everything to me.”

Tenants say the effects of the outage extend beyond inconvenience. Deliveries of water and other materials must now be carried upstairs by employees, while clients with injuries, disabilities or limited mobility can have difficulty or be unable to reach businesses on the upper floors.

The tenant group met Monday at the business center to discuss its options. Because the tenants are preparing for possible legal action, several declined to be identified individually in comments about their next steps.

The group agreed that its next move will be to retain an attorney to send a formal demand letter to Sunny Hills Management establishing deadlines for restoring elevator service and ensuring accessible parking at the property.

After nearly two months without elevator service, tenants say they are no longer willing to rely on projected repair dates.

They want a deadline.