Anaheim : Inspectors Go All-Out in Problem Neighborhood

Some tenants living in the dilapidated Jeffrey-Lynne neighborhood got some surprise visitors Tuesday when two code enforcement officers and a county health official began door-to-door inspections for safety or health violations.

Some tenants were suspicious of the visitors, but most cooperated and allowed officers in to inspect for such things as faulty wiring, inoperable plumbing or cockroaches, said John Poole, code enforcement supervisor for the city. Inspectors Tuesday saw all of those, Poole said.

City officials say this neighborhood of 112 apartment buildings in the shadow of the Disneyland Hotel is one of the worst in the city.

Since July 1, Poole said, his department has received 381 complaints from tenants, nearby property owners and others about trash, overcrowding and the appearance of the buildings.

Most of the tenants in the 672 apartments are Latinos, and most of the landlords live elsewhere, he said.

Instead of answering complaints one by one as they usually do, inspectors decided to comb the apartment complexes and search each unit.

“We’ve never gone through there in an efficient manner,” Poole said. “Why go there on a complaint on one building when the one next door is worse?”

Inspectors will ask landlords to correct violations. If landlords refuse, Poole said, the cases will go to the city attorney for prosecution. Violations of health and safety codes are misdemeanors.

Other neighborhoods targeted for inspection are the Manzanita Park apartment area in north Anaheim and a mixed apartment and single-family-residential neighborhood on Pauline Street and Anna Drive in east Anaheim.