Survey Hunts Out Substandard Housing : City Plays by the Book in Target Areas

City-initiated evictions are often prompted by a citizen complaint or an unannounced inspection that is part of a house-by-house survey of a targeted neighborhood, said Jose G. Osuna, manager of building inspection.

Neighborhoods receive close scrutiny because of their age or because they appear to be in poor repair, he said.

The targeted neighborhoods are in “buffer areas” between the city’s worst housing and neighborhoods officials think may deteriorate, he said. “We’re now creating a buffer between the central area and the eastern part of the city, and we’re working west, which is a harder area because of absentee landlords,” said Osuna.

About 38,000 of the city’s dwellings, 24% of the housing stock, are at least 45 years old. And the 1980 U.S. Census reported that the number of overcrowded city dwellings--those that officials say are most often substandard--increased from about 7,000 to 11,000 during the 1970s.

Osuna said that if a dwelling, such as a garage, is occupied illegally or if it needs major repair to meet building and safety codes, eviction is required.

The case of Phuong Duong, a 31-year-old Vietnamese woman who faces eviction from an inner-city garage, illustrates how the system works once a problem is detected, he said.

Examined House Next Door

Duong’s residence, near 10th Street and Orange Avenue, was discovered in early October by inspectors as they examined an adjacent 70-year-old house.

The absentee owner of the house and garage, Luis Rivera of Long Beach, was ordered in an Oct. 9 letter to repair the house and return the garage to its original use, Osuna said.

“We didn’t get a response, so we filed a declaration of substandard property with the county recorder on Nov. 21,” said Osuna. That declaration, in effect a second warning, prompted some repair by Rivera, according to a Dec. 17 inspection report.

When landlords do not respond after initial warnings, the city prosecutor’s office is asked to send a warning letter, said Osuna. If, after another 10 days, there is still no compliance, the case is turned over to the prosecutor, he said.

About 99% of landlords fix properties or stop renting dwellings that are not suitable for habitation before being prosecuted, and are not fined, Osuna said.

Those who are taken to court face a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $600 fine, Osuna said. “The judge normally gives a fine, places them on one year’s probation and orders compliance,” he said.

Rivera said last week that he has nearly finished repair of his 10th Street house, which rents for $450 monthly and has repeatedly ordered Duong to move out of the $225-a-month garage.

“She promised to move out in December,” Rivera said of Duong. “Now she don’t say anything, so I have to take her to court.”

Response Delays Action

Duong was served last week with a Municipal Court order to respond within five days if she wished to challenge her eviction. She responded Tuesday with the help of the Eviction Defense Unit of the Long Beach Legal Aid Foundation, which handles 15 similar cases a day, a spokesman said. By responding, Duong delayed her eviction by at least a month, said Legal Aid and city officials.

A hearing will be set within 21 days, and if a judge orders eviction, Rivera may then take the order to the county marshal’s office. The marshal must then notify Duong that she has five days to find another place to live or face eviction by marshals, said Legal Aid attorneys.