Santa Ana : Tenants Facing Eviction Promised Sewer Repairs
A county judge accepted a developer’s promise to fix a broken sewer line Monday in a partly demolished Santa Ana housing tract where 200 low-income tenants are fighting eviction.
Superior Court Commissioner Jane D. Myers rejected a request from a tenants’ lawyer for an immediate order forcing repair. But Myers told lawyer Richard L. Spix that she would consider a court order if the leak is not fixed overnight.
Classic Redevelopment Corp. plans to build an $8.4-million project, including 172 new apartments, on a tract of land on West 5th Street that had 40 single-family homes on it. The City of Santa Ana approved the plan and issued a demolition permit, but work was delayed after Spix appealed an eviction order issued last September.
Last week, Spix rejected an offer by Classic to pay $2,000 a family in relocation aid. About 26 of the homes remain inhabited.
Classic attorney Bryan A. Gianesin told Myers that the firm is willing to repair the sewer line. Gianesin said Spix failed to advise Classic of the problem until Monday.
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