Compton : Council Hears Complaints on Liens for Weed Cleanup

More than 30 disgruntled Compton homeowners packed the City Council chamber Tuesday to protest liens placed on their properties by the city for weed cleanup.

Many homeowners said they were not notified that the city was going to clean their properties. Some said that they have been billed but that their properties have not been cleaned. The council said it would check out the complaints.

City Clerk Charles Davis said that all the cases were heard by the Housing Advisory Appeals Board and that the property owners, many of whom do not live in the city, were notified by registered mail that they had to clean their property or the city would do it. Public Works Department officials and private contractors did the cleanups, Davis said.

Most of the homeowners brought evidence, such as photographs showing that their yards were clean, to substantiate their claims but public works officials did not have documentation for the council members.

Davis said that there were more than 500 notices totaling $500,000 in fines and liens sent out during the summer and that it would involve a lot of work to review every case.