SAN CLEMENTE : Law to Simplify City Code Enforcement

The City Council has unanimously passed an ordinance that will streamline its process for dealing with municipal code violations involving public nuisances such as broken-down cars, visual blight and rodent infestations.

The city’s previous procedure required that a public hearing be held before the council. Public nuisances involve anything that can be threatening to the health, safety and welfare of residents.

Instead of going through a public hearing process, which involves weeks of notification and red tape, the violations will now be reviewed and handled by a hearing officer.

City Atty. Jeffrey M. Oderman said the new procedure, which includes no appeal process, will allow the city to correct violations more quickly.

“The way the process has worked in the past, it takes 30 to 45 days between when the city finds out about the problem to when the City Council can take action because they only meet twice a month,” Oderman said. “We can now probably take three or four weeks out of the timeline to get from point A to point B.”

Oderman said most complaints will be able to be handled in 10 to 14 days.

The new streamlined procedure drew praise from several property owners attending this week’s council meeting.

“We as a city must take an aggressive stand against those who would blight our city,” said Roger Wild, a 25-year city resident. “We cannot allow this blight to continue.”

John Lilly, who owns an eight-unit apartment complex agreed, saying, “While most of the owners are responsible landlords, it only takes a few bad ones to ruin a neighborhood.”