LA PALMA : Code Enforcement Workshop Scheduled

The City Council has unanimously voted to sponsor a community workshop aimed at helping residents understand code enforcement. The workshop, free and open to everyone, will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Community Center, 7821 Walker St.

Code enforcement means implementing city laws regarding homes and property. City Manager Pamela Gibson said there are complex state laws that become intertwined with city code enforcement, and the public often does not understand the legal process.

A common example, Gibson said, is a resident’s complaint about unattended grass at a foreclosed residential property. The solution--mowing the grass--seems simple, but laws make it tough to get that accomplished, Gibson said.

“Sometimes the house about which people are complaining is in the process of foreclosure,” Gibson said. “The owner has gone, and the bank is in the process of acquiring the property, but does not yet own it.”

Gibson said that in such cases, city government must launch a time-consuming process of putting out a legal weed-abatement notice. State law requires posting notices on the property and bringing the matter to the City Council for a vote.

“Frequently by the time we go through the process, a new owner has taken over the property, and it solves itself because the new owner mows the grass,” Gibson said.

The city manager said that residents often become frustrated with the code enforcement process. They do not know the legal restraints placed on the city, she said. The Nov. 2 workshop will help explain the process and also seek suggestions from residents about how the system might be improved, Gibson said.

Gibson will conduct the workshop, assisted by the city attorney and the city’s director of building and safety.