San Fernando Buys, Razes 4 Houses Used by Drug Dealers : Redevelopment: Officials say the houses were the site of the city’s worst drug dealing.

As dozens of neighbors and city officials watched Saturday, a bulldozer mowed down four small wood-and-stucco houses, which authorities said had been the scene of San Fernando’s worst drug dealing.

Activity at the houses, in the 1200 block of Kewen Street, presented such a threat that they were purchased recently by the city’s redevelopment agency, said Don Penman, San Fernando city administrator.

He said it was the first time the city had acquired houses to demolish them and replace them with new housing.

“We are sending a strong message to the community that we want to do something there,” he said.

The houses, in a low-income residential community, were only a few blocks from schools and churches.

Sgt. Bill Greene of the San Fernando Police Department said the residences had become the single biggest narcotics problem in the city.

Over the years, there had been numerous arrests at the houses, authorities said.

“The police had to go to those homes on a daily basis because of all the activity there,” Greene said.

“There would be numerous calls for paramedics to go there because of drug overdoses,” he said.

“It was the single most blighted area of San Fernando,” he added.

Most of the problems came from transients who would drift in and out of the residences, Greene said.

The houses, which had deteriorated gradually during the last 10 years, had become “crash pads” for intravenous drug users and sellers in the last three years, he said.

The structures were in such bad shape that they were easily knocked down in 20 minutes, Penman said.

Jose Hernandez, who has lived in the area for 20 years, said as many as 70 people would gather in front of the houses during evening hours.

He said pedestrians who dared to walk in front often were robbed on the spot.

“The guys here were really bad,” Hernandez said, as he watched the bulldozer clear away the rubble. “This is a good area. Only these guys caused problems. Now everything should be OK.”

The monthly rent for the houses ranged from $170 to $250.

The tenants were paid relocation costs by the city, Penman said, adding that he did not know the exact number of people living in the houses or where they had gone.

Penman said the redevelopment agency will build two or three new, single-family houses on the site and sell them to families that could not otherwise afford to own their own homes.

The agency paid $105,000 for the four small houses, which ranged in size from 355 to 550 square feet.

The city decided to buy the properties instead of condemning them because that process would have wasted time, he said.

The redevelopment agency also would have lost control over future use of the site had it been condemned and sold to a private buyer, he said.

“From a police standpoint, it’s a step in the right direction,” Greene said.

“It’s the first step toward revitalizing the area,” he said.

Leona Aguilar, who lived across the street from the houses, said it was a relief to have them gone.

“But I want to see what goes in there next before I get too happy,” she said.