ANAHEIM, PLACENTIA : Cities to Consider Prosecution Pact

The Anaheim city attorney may begin prosecuting violations of Placentia’s municipal code under an agreement that will be considered today by council members in both cities.

Under the agreement, Anaheim would handle for Placentia the prosecution of code violations such as operating an unlicensed business or illegally converting a garage into a bedroom. Placentia’s code violations are currently prosecuted by the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Placentia’s misdemeanors and felonies, which are violations of state law, will continue to be prosecuted by the district attorney.

Anaheim, which has 277,000 residents, has a city attorney and 16 assistant and deputy city attorneys, seven of whom are prosecutors. Placentia, with 41,000 residents and a much smaller business base than its neighbor, has a part-time city attorney who primarily reviews contracts and ordinances and represents the city in lawsuits.

Under the agreement, Anaheim will be paid $65 for each of the 10 cases it expects to receive each month plus $100 for a two-hour trial. For each additional hour of work required, it will receive $60. It expects to receive about $8,000 annually.

According to Placentia officials, the district attorney’s office was receiving $68 per case.

Carol B. Tanenbaum, Placentia’s city attorney, said the agreement with Anaheim is her city’s attempt “to get more prosecutions for our dollar.”

She said the district attorney’s office is often swamped prosecuting felonies and misdemeanors and often does not have enough time to pursue all of Placentia’s code violations.

“But Anaheim has attorneys who prosecute mainly code violations and if someone is already doing 12 cases, it’s not that much extra work to do one more,” Tanenbaum said.

Anaheim City Atty. Jack L. White said the agreement “is a way to generate a little extra money for the city without overburdening our staff.”