California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against PAMA Management, a group of property management and real estate holding companies owned by Swaranjit “Mike” Nijjar, his sister Daljit “DJ” Kler, and other members of his family.
The Nijjar family and their related companies own and manage over 22,000 rental housing units statewide, primarily in low-income neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Kern Counties but also spanning up to Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties. According to a statement from Bonta’s office, the lawsuit is the result of a three-year investigation that allegedly determined PAMA Management violated numerous state laws by subjecting tenants to unsafe units marked by cockroach and rodent infestations, leaking roofs, overflowing sewage, and other problems.
Furthermore, the lawsuit also alleges that the companies discriminated against applicants with Section 8 housing vouchers, overcharged some tenants for rent, used leases that deceived tenants about their legal rights, and refused to provide Spanish translations of leases and other documents.
“PAMA and the companies owned by Mike Nijjar and his family are notorious for their rampant, slum-like conditions — some so bad that residents have suffered tragic results,” said Bonta. “Our investigation into Nijjar’s properties revealed PAMA exploited vulnerable families, refusing to invest the resources needed to eradicate pest infestations, fix outdated roofs, and install functioning plumbing systems, all while deceiving tenants about their rights to sue their landlord and demand repairs. Nijjar and his associates have treated lawsuit after lawsuit and code violation after code violation as the cost of doing business and have been allowed to operate and collect hundreds of millions of dollars each year from families who sleep, shower, and feed their children in unhealthy and deplorable conditions.”
A 3 year investigation? If the AG thought they were Trump supporters they would have investigated sooner & shut them down faster!
it’s like watching someone try to put out a fire with a teaspoon. When it takes three years for a system to respond while people are living with overflowing sewage and vermin, that’s not just bureaucratic slowness—it’s systemic apathy.
This isn’t just about one slumlord operation—it exposes a deeper rot in enforcement, accountability, and political will. You’ve got agencies with inspection reports gathering dust, cities rubber-stamping the same bad actors, and tenants basically forced to navigate a maze just to have basic human dignity.
Meanwhile, the landlords pad their margins, cut corners, and treat lawsuits like business overhead. It’s exploitation wearing a legal name tag.
If this case finally sets a precedent and closes the loopholes, that’s something. But if not? It’s just more evidence of a system that responds only when the public shaming gets loud enough.