Local News in Brief : Slumlord Must Surrender

The man called “the worst slumlord in the city” by Los Angeles City Atty. James K. Hahn has been ordered to surrender next Wednesday to begin serving an additional 90-day jail term.

But prosecutors do not expect Vijaynard Sharma, 40, who has not been seen publicly since Jan. 15, to surrender in Municipal Court on that date. If he fails to appear, a fourth arrest warrant will be issued for him.

Sharma received the 90-day sentence last year for violating the terms of a previous slumlord conviction but was allowed to delay serving it while he appealed the sentence.

The Superior Court Appellate Department on Friday dismissed the appeal on grounds that Sharma had defaulted by not following up on it, said Mike Qualls, a spokesman for the city attorney’s office. The court then ordered him to surrender next week to begin serving the jail sentence.