Enforcement of Crowded Housing Law Is Blocked
A Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday that the City of Santa Ana cannot enforce a housing occupancy law, pending a Sept. 22 hearing on a challenge to the code filed by a Latino immigrants’ rights group.
Richard Spix, attorney for the group challenging the law, said he is attempting to block evictions of people living in 40 apartments in three areas of the city. Without Wednesday’s ruling, he said, “those people would have been out on the street before Sept. 22.”
Commissioner Jane Myers ruled that Santa Ana cannot refuse to issue certificates of occupancy to apartment owners before the hearing, nor can any criminal charges be filed against landlords or tenants on the housing-occupancy issue.
City housing inspectors have demanded that occupancy levels be reduced, as required by the city’s housing law.
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