It’s been a rough summer at Harbor Bay Landing.
In early June, an employee of La Val’s Pizza fell through the kitchen floor. Another La Val’s employee, who spoke with the Alameda Post and asked to remain anonymous, said that the front door to the walk-in refrigerator could not close due to the floor all of a sudden being misaligned. About two weeks later, a crack in the floor had appeared near the back door of the refrigerator.
City of Alameda Code Enforcement red-tagged La Val’s Pizza, La Penca Azul, and China Villa Restaurant in early August. Photo by Ken Der.
“It’s not, like, a hairline crack. It was more like a crack where the other side of the crack got lower by maybe two inches,” the employee said.
A week later, a co-worker fell through the floor as it gave way and was rushed to Highland Hospital in Oakland. According to the employee, the owner of La Val’s, Salem Kaileh, then shut down the restaurant.
Several attempts by the Post to reach Kaileh for a comment were unsuccessful.
A hole in the La Val’s Pizza kitchen floor, through which an employee fell in early June. Photo by the City of Alameda.
The City of Alameda’s Code Enforcement Division staff inspected La Val’s later that month and determined that “the flooring beneath the cold storage unit is failing and in need of replacement.” The inspection report, obtained by the Post, further stated that the restaurant must remain closed until repairs are completed by the property owner.
The incident came in the midst of an ongoing saga of maintenance woes at Bay Farm Island’s primary shopping center. Back in January, the Community of Harbor Bay Isle Owners’ Association (CHBIOA) first alerted the Public Works Department that raw sewage was accumulating near and leaking into the lagoon at the rear of Building 891, which includes La Val’s, La Penca Azul, and China Villa Restaurant. In response, City staff issued a Notice to Comply that outlined a series of corrective actions that the center’s property management company, Sequoia Commercial Group, must take to remedy the situation. Sewer repairs were ostensibly completed—albeit without a permit—in April.
891 Island Drive, which includes La Val’s Pizza, La Penca Azul, and China Villa Restaurant. Photo by Ken Der.
But in early July, CHBIOA raised the alarm again.
“We are not convinced this was taken care of,” warned a representative of CHBIOA, in an email to Public Works.
After more inspections, City staff issued additional notices for Sequoia to address the illicit discharge, which “presented a strong foul odor and deposit of material/growth on the [g]round along and around the flow line.” On August 4, City staff red-tagged all three restaurants after a 48-hour Notice of Violation was issued following continued noncompliance, prompting La Penca Azul and China Villa to cease operations, while La Val’s remained closed.
Raw sewage accumulating near the lagoon and in the crawlspace beneath Building 891. Photos by the City of Alameda.
The next day, City staff met with Sequoia on-site to identify remediation measures, and then Sequoia’s general contractor spent the next few days making some emergency repairs. At the time, a manager at La Penca Azul told the Post that the landlord for the building was paying for the sewage repairs and was actively working on repairing the damage. She said that landlords are responsible for repairs under a building while tenants are responsible for above-ground repairs and renovations. Later emails between Public Works and Sequoia indicate that La Penca Azul addressed rooftop discharge stemming from the restaurant’s equipment and cooler operations.
But after Sequoia failed to provide the City with sufficient evidence demonstrating that work was completed, the City issued a fourth Notice to Comply [PDF] on August 11 and began imposing a $3,000 daily fine—$1,000 for each of three Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) violations relating to discharge of pollutants, littering, and best management practices—on top of the fines levied from previous notices.
That got things moving faster. Over the next few weeks, Sequoia and its general contractor made further repairs to fix leaking plumbing and drain piping in the crawlspace beneath China Villa to stop the flow of discharge, and pumped sewage and contaminated water from the lagoon. Following a few more rounds of communication and review, both sides planned for a final inspection in early September.
Cleanup efforts behind Building 891 in August. Photo by the City of Alameda.
An employee at the Park Street location of La Penca Azul confirmed to the Post on September 1 that there was an inspection taking place that day at its Harbor Bay Landing location, and that they were hoping to be up and running the next week.
The possible return of business cannot come soon enough for customers, as well as workers. The La Penca Azul on Park Street was unable to give shifts to the Harbor Bay employees. Similarly, La Val’s employees have been out of work since the shut down.
“I feel bad for my other coworkers, because they actually have families to care for,” said Amelia, a 17-year-old La Val’s employee who lives on Bay Farm.
Neighbors and shoppers also wondered what implications this most recent episode of maintenance mayhem could have on the future of the shopping center, even if some reopenings appear to be on the horizon. While expressing her thoughts on the matter during the September 1 City Council meeting, Councilmember Tracy Jensen revealed she learned that “La Val’s won’t be reopening—it’s closed for good.”
“I’m worried about what this means, if the owners are just letting it all fall apart,” said Stephan Dumont, who lives nearby. In late January, Code Enforcement issued a Notice of Violation over the condition of the shopping center—separate from the sewer issue—calling out debris accumulation, peeling paint, graffiti, damaged pedestrian areas, and potholes in the parking lot around the property. Dumont said he has noticed the decline over the years and that he would be open to a mixed-used redevelopment at the site, even if it could potentially generate an increase in traffic, as long as it could help reenergize the community staple and keep people living there.
Inspection photos documenting conditions in January 2026. Photos by the City of Alameda.
Sandy Lance, who recently moved back to Bay Farm after leaving Alameda in 2000, finds the current state of affairs disheartening.
“All of the past food places are gone—it’s pitiful,” said Lance. “There is so much potential here for something like an Asian or Chinese bakery, anything that can bring retail back to life.”
“We don’t need 300 condos, we need a thriving retail space,” she added, referencing last year’s proposal by a developer to demolish the shopping center for a new community of homes. The City had rejected the application last October, on the basis that it did not meet certain requirements, such as having a grocery store on site.
What the owners—Burlingame-based Harbor Bay Landing, LLC—now have in mind for the future of the shopping center is unknown. Attempts to reach the property manager at Sequoia Commercial Group for comment were unsuccessful.
One thing is certain, though: The community’s concern. La Val’s employee Amelia said that her family enjoys the convenience of having the shopping center close by. But after the departure of numerous tenants over the years, and with the questionable state of the premises, she could not help but worry that Safeway might also one day close that location, which would negatively impact the community’s access to food and groceries.
For its part, Safeway has not publicly announced any changes to operations at its Harbor Bay Landing location, and City staff met with Safeway officials last October to express support for retaining the store at the site. So, for now, shoppers continue to trail in and out of the plaza’s anchor with food and supplies—while nervously side-eyeing the nearby empty storefronts.
The bustling Safeway is the anchor of Harbor Bay Landing. Photo by Ken Der.
Ken Der is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact him via [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Ken-Der. Jean Chen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jean-Chen.
Dining and Cooking