Property records show the building was built in 1895 and is owned by a limited partnership called Mead Avenue Housing Associates with an address in Oakland's Montclair neighborhood. Records show the partnership's general partner is Keith J. Kim, who is listed at addresses in North Oakland and Piedmont.
The city's code enforcement database shows a long list of complaints at 2551 San Pablo Ave.
The most recent was recorded earlier this month, a request by the building's master tenant, Urojas Community Services, for the city to conduct an inspection because of "alleged deferred maintenance by landlord." City records show that a Planning and Building Department inspector visited the property March 3 and verified the complaint.
Urojas operates two sites in Oakland -- the other is at 88th Avenue and International Boulevard in East Oakland -- as well as a location in Stockton. The organization provides health care and other services to the homeless, mentally ill, veterans and residents re-entering the community from incarceration.
Attorney James Cook, an associate of Oakland civil rights lawyer John Burris, told reporters at the scene of Monday's fire that Urojas had asked for help after December's Ghost Ship fire and expressed fears that Kim was about to evict the organization and its clients from 2551 San Pablo.
Cook described the building "as in horrible condition."
After recent rains, he said, "There was virtually like a river on the first floor, with wires exposed to it. There's toilets overflowing. A lot of people with mental health issues, so they're hoarding in their apartments. That kind of thing."
Cook said he helped broker discussions between Urojas, Kim, and Oakland City Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney to discuss conditions at the building, disputes about rent and other expenses at the building and a proposal to have Urojas vacate parts of 2551 San Pablo so those areas could be rehabbed and offered to a new set of low-income tenants.
Those meetings did not result in an agreement, and on March 17, Kim served Urojas with a 30-day eviction notice.
McElhaney also appeared at the building Monday and confirmed the earlier conversations.
"We've had ongoing discussions to address some of the deferred maintenance issues and improve habitability in the building," McElhaney said.
"Programs that serve low-income people sometimes don't necessarily have the resources to do bigger rehabilitation projects," she said. "So we were looking at what the needs were and assessing those so we could bring in donations and voluntary efforts to get them to improve the habitability here."
McElhaney added that she believed some work on the building was scheduled to begin in the next couple of weeks. "That's now changed," she said.
Other recent verified or open complaints involving 2551 San Pablo Ave. include:
- February 2017: Large amount of trash and debris, building materials, furniture in back of property. City records show the complaint was verified and a letter of violation sent to the building's owner.
- December 2016: No working heat throughout the building, electrical issues and a large pest infestation. The city says this complaint remains open.
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September 2016: Pipe in a kitchen sink is missing causing water leakage and mold and the floor is caving in.
The building was also the subject of repeated complaints about the lack of hot water and electricity in some units and the presence of holes in floors, walls and the roof.
Monday's fatal blaze comes nearly four months after Ghost Ship fire, which killed 36 people attending a dance party in an illegally converted Fruitvale district warehouse.
KQED's Miranda Leitsinger and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
