Local News in Brief : Santa Ana : Court Issues Order Halting Eviction of 20
A Santa Ana man who filed a lawsuit challenging the city’s housing ordinance won a preliminary injunction Wednesday barring a landlord from evicting 20 tenants from their apartments because of overcrowding.
Ascenion Briseno filed suit against the city and his landlord, Bill Ryan, last month after Ryan told residents in the building at 931 S. Minnie St. they would have to move. The tenants were told they had violated a city housing code that allows no more than three residents in a one-bedroom apartment.
The suit, one of three pending in Superior Court that challenge the city’s interpretation of the code, claims that the city erroneously excludes the living room when calculating the amount of “habitable room.”
The injunction, issued by Superior Court Judge Gary L. Taylor, has no bearing on the other two cases.
City building inspectors cited Ryan, the landlord, for overcrowding. The action came three days after the tenants filed a contempt notice against Ryan for failing to make repairs in the building. The residents began a rent strike to force the repairs several months ago, according to attorney Richard Spix, who represents the tenants.
Neither Ryan nor city officials could be reached for comment.
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