The Chargers are staying in San Diego, at least for one more year. 

Multiple fire departments are on the scene of a raging house fire in Paradise Hills.

One person was taken to the UC San Diego Burn Center for life-threatening injuries, according to fire officials.

The blaze started just after 7 p.m. Tuesday on Utica Drive.

Firefighters from San Diego, National City, Heartland and Chula Vista all responded.

NBC 7 has a crew at the scene. Check back for updates on this developing story.
 

A passing jogger helped rescue a man who attempted to save his pet poodle from icy Lake Michigan Tuesday, just south of Montrose Harbor.

The man was walking with three poodles at about 5:15 p.m. when one of the dogs ran around a retaining wall onto the ice and fell in. The owner went after him and fell in the water as well.

Adam Dominik was jogging near the bird sanctuary when he heard dogs barking and ran to the scene.

A cross-country skier named Lynn Gerhard was already there, and was in the process of calling 911.

"His face was peering out. He was completely submerged, except for his face," Dominik said. "I knew I had about 2 or three minutes before hypothermia set in and he went under, so I had Lynn keep talking to him and keep his spirits up."

Dominik says he found a yellow twine rope near the bird sanctuary and attempted to pull the man out, who was 10 away, below the ice-encased retaining wall.

"At first I threw the rope over him but the dog was kind of pulling on him with his weight pushing him under the water," Dominik said. "He kept saying, 'Save the dog first,' I kept saying, 'No, we're going to save your life first and then the dog, your life is more important,' but he insisted on pulling up the dog first."

Dominik (pictured, right) managed to pull the man and the dog closer to the shoreline, and that's when members of the Chicago Police Department Marine Unit and the fire department arrived and finished the job.

"He's responsible for a rescue here today," Officer Kevin Kelly said. "He did a great job. He was able to pull that victim close to the shoreline, and that allowed us to get our rescue sling down to him and work as a group to get that person up, and then it was a long trek from that shoreline up to the ambulance here."

The victim was transferred to a local hospital where he was listed in stable condition. The dog is also reportedly expected to survive. 

But just getting to the scene proved difficult for the emergency responders. It was about a quarter mile from the nearest parking lot, and they didn't have an exact location.

"Running in about 12 inches of snow as fast as you can to get to somebody who's fighting for their life ... it was a desperate situation," Officer Jean McCarthy said.

Officials say the incident should serve as a warning for dog owners to keep their dogs on leashes, because at this time of year, it's not clear where the shoreline ends and the water begins.

"If a dog goes in the water, call 911 and we'll come and get you, don't go in yourself," said Ron Dornecker of the Chicago Fire Department.

Downtown San Diego figures to be a lot more welcoming -- and sanitary -- after two City Council decisions Tuesday authorizing long-awaited improvement projects.

For those impatient with lack of progress on efforts to revamp the historic Horton Plaza park area on the south side of Broadway between 3rd and 4th Avenues, the catch-phrase could be, "It's about time."

Original hopes were for a grand opening this past New Year's Eve.

Now, July of 2015 is the target date.

And, four years after initial calls to install prefabricated “Portland Loos” restrooms in East Village, facilities at two locations are expected to open in June.

The 1.5-acre Horton park site has been surrounded by plywood fencing well before demolition work on Westfield-Horton Plaza structures began in November 2012.

City officials say the $11 million project was held up by a financing dispute with the state, land-title issues and underground utility problems.

Construction is expected to start in July and will include an amphitheater, three food and beverage pavilions, public restrooms and restoration of the park’s fountain.

“This project is meant to vitalize the space, activate the space,” says Daniel Kay, a civil engineer who’s headed up the park program for Civic San Diego – the city’s successor to the Centre City Development Corp. which was put out of business by state action to end redevelopment.

“Westfield is actually responsible for maintaining the park for the first 25 years,” Kay told NBC 7 in an interview Tuesday, “which is part of the owner participation agreement.”

That agreement also calls for the Westfield group – which handled the demolition and deeded the underlying land to the city in return for the city relinquishing a multimillion-dollar profit-sharing arrangement -- to stage 200 special events a year in the park.

Those events, increased foot traffic and night lighting are expected to vastly reduce problems that transients, panhandlers and drug dealing once posed throughout the civic square around the fountain.

A 2011 study by National University’s research institute projected the park could have an economic impact upwards of $310 million over 25 years, generating more than $37 million in property, sales and hotel taxes.

Meantime Tuesday, the City Council approved plans for a pair of "Portland Loo" restrooms that carry a total cost of $400,000, plus $50,000 in annual maintenance.

Residents and businesses in East Village have long complained about transients relieving themselves outdoors.

"They come along the building. They do their business in our doorways, in our roll-up areas where we're working, and we have to clean up,” says Dan Selis, president of Mission Brewery, across the street from one of the planned Portland Loos outposts on the southwest corner of 14th and L Streets.

“The whole area smells; it’s not pleasant,” Selis said. “It’s also, for us, distracting when we have to confront homeless who sometimes are in the middle of the act of doing their business. It’s horrible. And it’s actually causing some of the tenants in the building to entertain relocating their businesses.”

The 14th and L location and the other Portland Loos target site on the northwest corner of Market Street and Park Boulevard have raised eyebrows among residents who don’t think they’re the most ideal to fill gaps in downtown’s network of restrooms available to the public.

“Why are they putting them in these two weird locations? Because nobody else wanted them anywhere else, and those are the only two locations that Civic (San Diego) controlled,” says Gary Smith, president of the Downtown Residents Group which comprises more than 700 dues-paying individuals -- many representing center city homeowners associations.

“That’s why they’re going where they’re going – not because there’s a particular need at those particular ‘randomly selected’ corners.”

 A man was stabbed over the weekend as he tried to save his wife from a relative in Chula Vista.

Chula Vista Police said the couple was confronted by their relative Brandon Ancho in the 300 block of East James Street on Saturday.

Ancho walked through their unlocked front door uninvited and began asking his relatives about a business matter related to his former job.

After a few minutes, police said Ancho took out a large kitchen knife from his pocket and tried to stab the woman in the back.

That’s when her husband intervened and led Ancho on a chase throughout the house. The suspect eventually caught the man and stabbed him twice, once in the abdomen and once in the chest, police said.

Both victims ran away from their house and scaled a fence to escape.

Ancho allegedly fled as well before police arrived.

The man was taken to the hospital for emergency surgery; he is expected to survive. His wife was not injured.

Ancho was arrested by CVPD’s violent crimes unit at his parent’s house in the 2400 block of Doubletree Road in Spring Valley on Monday.

Though the use of methamphetamine continues to pose a major problem in San Diego, county health officials and leaders say the city is no longer considered the “meth capital” of the United States, according to the latest statistics.

“San Diego County may no longer be the meth capital, but meth continues to take its deadly toll. The statistics are very disturbing,” County of San Diego Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Dianne Jacobs said Tuesday during a press conference outlining meth use in the region.

According to Jacobs, as well as officials from the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), there were 217 meth-related deaths in San Diego in 2012 – up from 140 in 2008. That marks a 55 percent increase in local meth-related deaths.

Jacobs said the 2012 figure is the second highest since the county’s Methamphetamine Strike Force – a group composed of approximately 70 local, state and federal organizations and agencies – first began tracking these types of incidents in the mid-90s.

Still, today’s so-called “Meth Report Card” is better than it was in 1996, when the County Board of Supervisors created the Meth Strike Force to curb the large presence of meth labs operating out of the county.

“San Diego County had the dubious distinction of being the meth capital [of the U.S.] and it was East County that was the hot spot,” Jacobs recalled. “We have to continue to be vigilant.”

Joining Jacobs at Tuesday’s press conference were HHSA director Nick Macchione, San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie M. Dumanis, San Diego County Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Jonathan Lucas and Eric Davis, a recovery counselor and former meth user.

The group talked about indicators of the meth problem in San Diego, including unintentional deaths, emergency room visits, treatment admissions, arrests for possession and sales of meth and adult and juvenile arrestees testing positive for meth.

While the county has implemented several programs to curb meth use, the drug remains prevalent in San Diego.

DA Dumanis said law enforcement continues to fight the battle against meth on a daily basis.

“Law enforcement’s commitment to the fight against meth continues,” said Dumanis. “We will arrest and prosecute meth users and dealers. Meth is a bad drug. It does bad things to your mind – it makes you violent. We see it often in officer-involved shooting cases because [the suspect] acts in a paranoid or bizarre way.”

Dumanis said 36 percent of adult arrestees in 2012 tested positive for meth, compared to 24 percent in 2008.

“What this tells us, is that meth continues to be the drug of choice for adults in San Diego, especially for people who are on probation,” Dumanis added.

On a positive note, the DA said the number of juvenile arrestees who tested positive for meth dropped to 4 percent in 2012, down from 10 percent in 2008.

“Young people are not turning to meth at the same level as adults,” she added.

While the number of meth labs in the county has drastically dropped over the past decade, Jacobs said meth manufacturers are still finding new ways to make and distribute the drug.

This includes smuggling liquid meth across the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as using a potentially explosive meth manufacturing method called “shake ‘n bake,” in which chemicals are mixed together in a 2-liter soda bottle.

Jacobs urged anyone who suspects drug activity in their community or anyone suffering from a meth addiction to call the Meth Hotline for help at (877) 662-6384.

“Make no mistake, meth means death,” said Jacobs. “This isn’t like something in a TV show like ‘Breaking Bad.’ Meth breaks lives.”

Health officials said the meth use numbers for 2013 have not yet been released, but should be made public within the next few months. Already, the HHSA confirms about 230 meth-related deaths in the county for 2013, which comes out to about a 10 percent increase from the 2012 figure.

The San Diego City Attorney’s office has ordered a hotel in Mission Valley to increase security and make immediate changes in order to crack down on prostitution activity at the business.

Due to a civil settlement reached with the City Attorney’s office, the Travelodge Hotel located 1201 Hotel Circle South is now required to increase the hours for onsite security guards as part of a plan to curb sex trafficking in the area.

According to the office of City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, the San Diego Police Department launched an investigation at the hotel in late 2011. After several undercover operations lasting through early 2013, detectives found numerous women advertising themselves for sex on websites and directing their customers – and undercover detectives – to the Mission Valley Travelodge.

Over the course of the investigation, officials said more than 20 prostitution-related arrests were made, including arrests for pimping and human trafficking.

Last February, detectives arrested three prostitutes at the hotel suspected of working together. Previously, in January 2012, detectives arrested two prostitutes also suspected of working out of the hotel.

Their alleged pimp was also arrested at the hotel. Investigators said more than $20,000 in cash was found in the pimp’s car, which was parked at the hotel. Investigators said evidence indicated the suspected pimp was allegedly depriving the two prostitutes of food, drinks, cell phone access and proper medical care.

Before that bust, another female prostitute and her suspected pimp were arrested at the hotel in late December 2011. Investigators said those suspects had traveled throughout California and Arizona engaging in prostitution-related activities.

Since all of these arrests, the City Attorney’s office and San Diego Police Department have worked closely with the hotel to ensure the criminal activity was abated. Officials say hotel management has been responsive and cooperative in addressing the prostitution problems.

In addition to increasing hours for onsite security guards, the hotel has also installed more security cameras and posted signs to deter criminal activity on the premises.

The hotel has also improved registration policies, which now require the photocopying of all guest and visitor ID cards, registering of all guest and visitor vehicles and increased deposit for all rooms rented with cash. Visitor hours are also limited from 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

The City Attorney’s office said the hotel also continues to maintain a “Do Not Rent” list of known individuals arrested for prostitution-related activity on or off the property.

As part of the civil settlement, the hotel owner will also provide the City Attorney’s office with copies of weekly security logs and incident reports pertaining to the hotel for the next six months. The hotel owner and operator must also pay $18,526 in investigative costs to the City of San Diego. If the hotel fails to comply with the terms of the settlement, the hotel could be charged $25,000 in civil penalties.

City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said tourists and guests to San Diego “should feel safe and secure during their stay” at local hotels.

“Our office will continue to combat illegal activity such as prostitution and will work diligently to hold business owners accountable and clean up neighborhoods,” said Goldsmith in a press release Monday.

Last February, a similar crackdown was ordered by the City Attorney’s office at the Howard Johnson Motel in Mission Valley. That motel – also located on Hotel Circle South – was home to a slew of prostitution activity and was also ordered to make changes per a legal settlement with the City.

As a result of the investigation into illegal activity at the Howard Johnson, a deputy with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department was accused of soliciting a prostitute at the motel in January 2013.
 

Tuesday marked exactly four years since San Diego’s McStay family vanished without a trace, leaving few clues behind in a case that has baffled San Diego law enforcement and captured international attention.

The family – parents Joseph and Summer McStay and their young sons, 4-year-old Gianni McStay and 3-year-old Joseph Matteo McStay – disappeared from their home in Fallbrook on Feb. 4, 2010.

Over the next few years there were few breaks in the mysterious case, that is, until a grim discovery last fall.

On Nov. 11, 2013, the skeletal remains of the McStay family were found in and around shallow graves in the high desert outside of Victorville, Calif. The remains were positively identified as the family by San Bernardino County officials during a press conference.

At that time, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said investigators had not yet determined the cause or motive behind the deaths of the McStays, including if the family may have fallen prey to Mexican cartels.

Since that disheartening discovery, law enforcement investigators – including the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and FBI – have shifted their focus from finding the missing family to figuring out exactly what happened to them.

TIMELINE: McStay Family Mystery

However, four years to the date of the family’s disappearance, their case remains unsolved.

Over the years, the mystery of the McStays has been filled with twists, turns and dead ends.

On Feb. 8, 2010, just days after the family vanished, a group of four people resembling the McStays was captured on grainy surveillance video crossing into Mexico at the San Ysidro border crossing.

This was the same day a white Isuzu Trooper belonging to the family was found illegally parked at a nearby strip mall. At the time, detectives felt it was “a very high probability” that the footage was of the missing family.

When officials showed the video to relatives of the McStay family, some recognized the white jacket the woman in the video was wearing. However, other relatives said they weren’t sure it was the McStays due to the poor quality of the video.

Since the family’s sudden disappearance, the McStays hadn't used their bank accounts, credit cards or cell phones, investigators have repeatedly said.

In April 2013, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department announced they were transferring the case of the McStay family to the FBI.

The sheriff’s department said they had “conducted an exhaustive missing person investigation in an attempt to locate the family” and hundreds of tips had been investigated without success. At that point, the sheriff’s department said they had reached a consensus that the family went to Mexico of their free will.

After the remains of the family were discovered in November 2013, Joseph McStay’s brother, Michael McStay, vowed to get to the bottom of what happened to his loved ones.

“We’re going to find this individual, or individuals. I know the sheriff’s department, the FBI, everybody wants to bring this to justice. And, if it’s the last thing I do – I just want to know when it’s over,” said Michael, between tears, at that emotionally-charged press conference.

Over the years, Michael has managed and updated a website documenting the case and search for his relatives.

To date, he continues to sporadically post messages on the website, including an announcement about a public memorial service and beach paddle-out held for the family at the San Clemente Pier in Southern California last month.

At that paddle-out, surfers made their way into the water holding hands in remembrance of the McStay family as a large crowd of family and friends looked on from the sand and cheered. Orchids were released into the water and candles were lit in loving tribute of the family whose story has touched so many.

Newly-released surveillance video has reignited a firestorm in the controversial case of a former police officer convicted of preying on women while on patrol for the San Diego Police Department in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego – an area of the city known for its restaurants and nightlife.

Ex-cop Anthony Arevalos was convicted of multiple felony charges of sexual battery, assault and asking for bribes. He’s currently serving a nine-year prison sentence for his crimes on women.

While many of Arevalos’ victims have sued the City of San Diego and reached settlements in those suits, one case involving a victim known only as "Jane Doe" is still open and new video linked to her case is prompting her civil attorneys to speak out in anger, claiming corruption and cover-up on the part of the SDPD in this woman’s case.

“This is a case of public safety, as well as private tragedy. The city has a police department that needs correction,” Jane Doe’s attorney, Browne Greene, told NBC 7 on Tuesday.

According to Greene, San Diego City Attorney Jan Goldsmith had an investigator follow Jane Doe in order to gather evidence for the city’s defense against a lawsuit Jane Doe had filed against the City of San Diego.

At various times, the woman was taped on surveillance video. This included a visit to her father on a Fourth of July weekend. At one point in the video, she is taped kissing her boyfriend.

In a letter accompanying the video, an investigator writes that the video shows Jane Doe “attired in shorts and bending fully over in public on several occasions.”

Greene says the inference in that letter is that his client is promiscuous and flirtatious. He says his client had no idea she was being watched by investigators.

“They have to use it for what? A pretext to maybe find some dirt? That’s what they’re looking for here – to try to smear her,” said Greene.

According to Goldsmith, surveillance like this is routine. He says not doing it would be malpractice.

“It’s part of normal prep for trial. We do it in every case -- big cases, some small cases we don’t. It’s done by lawyers all across the country,” said Goldsmith.

Still, Greene says the videos have crossed the line and make his client look bad, while “not telling the truth about the facts in this case.”

Furthermore, Greene says this is no way to treat a victim who did everything police asked of her for the criminal case, including helping police make a phone call in which Arevalos admitted what he did to her during a violent sexual assault in February 2010 that included placing his hand inside her pants.

“She was the number one witness for the prosecution and now this is the thanks – this is the justice – given back by the city,” said Greene.

Arevalos’ case is due back in court Friday for a hearing. Defense attorneys for Arevalos say four pages of notes written by Jane Doe were not turned over to them, and argue those notes may have helped their criminal case.

Greene says the San Diego Police Department knew about the notes, just as they knew about numerous early complaints made against Arevalos. Greene claims police failed to turn the notes over so that if Arevalos was convicted, there would be grounds for an appeal.

He fears Arevalos may get out of his prison sentence on this technicality.

“Now, you have the sheer irony of perhaps Officer Arevalos being able to take a walk and get out of prison, perhaps endanger other people, because of what the city failed to do in terms of public safety,” Greene explained. “It’s just another example of the willy-nilly lack of care, ‘protect officers first’ attitude of this department.”

The San Diego mayor’s office and District Attorney’s office would not comment Tuesday regarding Greene’s allegations of corruption and cover-up because it’s all part of an appeal, as well as part of the ongoing civil litigation.
 

After more than 36 years on the run, a woman who police say escaped from a Michigan prison has been arrested in San Diego. 

The California cattle industry also is being affected by the drought.

California Gov. Declares Drought Emergency

In the Bay Area, cattle ranchers are having to shell out thousands of dollars to feed their herds, who don't have access to the grass they are used to with a lack of rain.

Justin Fields, a cattle rancher, has to feed his 500 cattle hay so they can survive. But he's also wondering if he can survive the growing costs of having to purchase 175 tons of hay this season -- a huge expense that cost him nearly $50,000.

In addition, a water hole on his property is bone dry and covered with grass.

The cows have been drinking from another spring, but Fields said if rain doesn't come soon he may be forced to shell out more money to haul in water.

San Diego Growers Ready for Rain

Fields was forced to sell some of his herd to offset the additional costs.

"We've sold some of our yearling cattle already," he said. "We are pretty much doing anything necessary."

Several suspects were arrested at a Manhattan building as investigators tried to determine whether they sold drugs to actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was found dead of an apparent overdose.

Two law enforcement sources said Hoffman's phone number was found on the cell phone of one of the suspects.

Three suspects -- Robert Vineberg, 57, Max Rosenblum and Juliana Luchkiw, both 22 -- were arrested on drug charges Tuesday after police searched three apartments in the Mott Street building and allegedly found about 300 bags of heroin stamped "Red Bull" and "Black List," along with three small bags of cocaine and some unidentified pills, according to NBC News.

A fourth suspect initially named by police is not being charged because he does not live in the building and investigators cannot link him to the case, sources said.

All three suspects appeared before a judge Wednesday and entered not guilty pleas through their lawyers. They're being held until their next court appearance. 

Luchkiw's lawyer, Stephen Turano, said his client had no relationship with Hoffman and that she was "in the wrong place at the wrong time." He said he believes the large amounts of recovered heroin were found in the other apartments. 

Rosenblum and Luchkiw are a couple and live in the same apartment. Turano said only small amounts of cocaine and marijuana were recovered from their apartment, not heroin.

Police are looking into whether the suspects supplied drugs to Hoffman, who was found dead in the bathroom of his West Village apartment Sunday with a syringe in his arm, sources say. The Oscar-winning actor had been dead several hours when he was found by a friend and is suspected to have died of an overdose.

The medical examiner said Wednesday that the autopsy was inconclusive as to the cause and manner of death. Authorities are awaiting further test results, including toxicology.

Dozens of bags of heroin were found in Hoffman's apartment, along with prescription drugs and a bag of white powder police were testing for cocaine. Some of the heroin found there was stamped "Ace of Spades."

Hoffman's last known contacts on Saturday night were with his longtime girlfriend around 8 p.m., and a screenwriter friend about 9 p.m., officials said.

Sources say bank records show Hoffman withdrew $1,200 from an ATM at a supermarket near his West Village home between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. the night he died. A witness told investigators he saw Hoffman speaking with two men wearing messenger bags as he withdrew the money. 

Detectives are looking into whether he bought the drugs the night of his death. 

Hoffman, who was 46 and had three children, won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2006 for his starring role in "Capote." He was nominated for Oscars three other times, including for 2012's "The Master," and he earned two Tony nominations for his work on Broadway.

Hoffman spoke over the years about past struggles with drug addiction. After 23 years sober, he admitted in interviews last year to falling off the wagon and developing a heroin problem that led to a stint in rehab. 

--Katy Tur contributed to this story

NBC News relaunched its website on Wednesday with a mobile-centric design that features eye-catching photos and a new video player for an enhanced digital storytelling experience.

"This is much more than a makeover. We are changing the way we tell stories," said Gregory Gittrich, NBC News Digital Vice President of News. "This is a full relaunch, from the back-end technology to the unique user experience and design--all fueled by a totally new content strategy."

For example, a new animated series called "Show Me" explains complex numbers and data in an "interesting and fun way." There is also "The Debunker," a video series that analyzes and challenges conventional wisdom.

Since ending its joint venture with Microsoft in July 2012, NBC News has been researching news consumption habits and revamping its digital and mobile strategies. This marks the first redesign since NBC News acquired full control of its digital properties.

The new NBCNews.com also features an endless stream of headlines and news and a mobile-first design that caters to the growing share of traffic from mobile devices.

Users can expect to see more original reporting from NBC News journalists such as Brian Williams, David Gregory, Pete Williams, Andrea Mitchell and Richard Engel.

"We've begun the stages of tearing down the walls that traditionally have divided the two operations, and this new stream that we're launching today is the foundation stone of our future division strategy," said Deborah Turness, President of NBC News.

A report of a man allegedly pulling out a weapon inside Alvarado Hospital Tuesday night was a false alarm, San Diego police confirmed Wednesday morning.

According to SDPD Lt. Kevin Mayer, a woman called police around 9 p.m. to report that a man had allegedly pointed a gun at her. The suspect was seen heading down Alvarado Road in a pickup truck, near the hospital, and was pulled over by police.

L.t Mayer said no weapon was found in the man’s truck. Police discovered the woman who called officers was mistaken and the object the man had been holding was actually a hair brush, Lt. Mayer said.

Officials at Alvarado Hospital said the suspect was never inside the hospital.

No one was arrested or injured.

A Camp Pendleton Marine accused of stabbing a female Marine multiple times, has been charged, according to officials with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS.)

According to NCIS, the charges were filed last Friday.

Camp Pendleton has not released the name of the Marine charged in the crime or details about the charges.

Lance Cpl. Emily Hammonds was stabbed at Camp Pendleton on Jan. 18. She was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital, according to a Marine Corps public information official.

Pentagon sources told NBC that a male Marine stabbed Hammonds during some kind of domestic dispute. The nature of their relationship is unclear.

NCIS said the suspect was being held in Camp Pendleton’s brig.

Check back for updates on this developing story.
 

As journalists descend on the Russian city of Sochi, they are taking to social media to reveal the condition of the area that will host the 2014 Winter Olympics on February 6.

As previous reports of hotel renovations and twin toilets have suggested, facilities in the resort city may be less than ideal. The problems have also inspired a Twitter account.

Take a look at photos and tweets from journalists below: 

A couple's environmentally-friendly fertilizer is causing a stink in La Habra Heights as residents and city officials bothered by the stench demand the operation be shut down.

Phil and Aida Lough created the liquid fertilizer, dubbed Llama Brew, in 2008 and began selling the product in 2009. The brew is made from organic llama and alpaca manure and bottled in recycled plastic containers, according to the Llama Brew website.

But despite the couple's efforts to create an eco-friendly product, officials argue the stench of animal feces and urine is doing more harm than good.

When the Loughs obtained a business license and home occupation permit to make the brew under "Universal Wellness, LLC," the documents stated the business would be: run inside their home; no odor, liquid or solid waste would be emitted; and the number of livestock would be limited.

Inspections since 2011 revealed code violations including the presence of five llamas, 38 goats, one sheep, dogs, chickens, ducks and rabbits. The inspection warrant revealed the property had a "strong odor of animal urine and waste … and an inordinate amount of animal feces all over the property."

In August 2013, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered the couple to stop producing the Llama Brew at their 2,262-square-foot Picaacho Road property.

Since they were told to cease operations, the Loughs and some La Habra residents have tried to fight the city by filing thousands of public records requests, City Manager Shauna Clark told NBC4.

The city has spent $468,000 in staff time and expenses plus $150,000 in court fees during the course of its legal battle with the Loughs, Clark said.

“Most people don’t realize that we’re mandated by state law to provide these records,” she said.

The city's finance manager resigned last year, and a Twitter account linked to the Llama Brew website responded to the now-open job position.

The @LlamaBrew Twitter account, with the username Eden the Llama, wrote, "My cat friend is (applying for) the (financial manager) job. He can do a great job."

Despite the ruling that Llama Brew be shut down, the dispute between the Loughs and the city of La Habra has continued.

During a Jan. 10 City Council meeting, Phil Lough gave council members papers that detail his allegations against city officials. The city posted its response letter to Lough on its website under "The FACTS" section -- a digital forum for the city to respond to residents.

Meanwhile, Clark said she believes the Loughs have ceased production of Llama Brew.

A link to place an order for Llama Brew on the company's website was not active, and calls placed by NBC4 to the Loughs were not returned by time of publication.