Santa Ana

Renters’ Trial Set: After no settlement was reached Monday, a Municipal Court judge set a trial for Dec. 16 in the case of five families facing eviction on the ground that their Highland Avenue apartments are overcrowded. The families, who have been on a rent strike since May over proposed rent increases and substandard conditions, exceed the city’s limit of three people per bedroom in the small units. Attorney Richard Spix, who represents two of the families, said he would probably file suit challenging Santa Ana’s occupancy standards. Landlord Joseph De Carlo has made repairs but was told by city building inspectors that he cannot clear up the code violations until he reduces the occupancy rates, his attorney, Terence Calder, said.