LA PALMA : Residents Offer Ideas on Code Enforcement

City officials recently invited residents to give suggestions about code enforcement. City Manager Pamela Gibson said the result was refreshing and beneficial.

“We’ve got many ideas from citizens, and staff will be presenting some of them soon,” she told the City Council this week.

Code enforcement includes maintaining buildings, keeping lawns and vacant lots mowed, and preventing eyesores, such as illegally parked boats and vans.

Gibson said the city invited residents to attend a workshop on code enforcement this month because arcane laws frequently cause confusion and misunderstandings. City staffers attended the forum to explain the complexities of city ordinances and state laws.

She said that during the workshop, city employees also urged residents to suggest ways code enforcement could be improved. “Although there were only a few people in attendance, the ideas generated were excellent,” Gibson said.

In a written report to the council, Gibson presented these ideas from the workshop:

* Creating a citation for municipal code violations, similar to a parking ticket. This would be used for repeat offenders after all other attempts to gain compliance have failed.

* Soliciting support from service clubs whose members might be willing to assist property owners who are ill, elderly or disabled and not able to maintain homes or lawns.

* Offering fix-up grants to property owners who qualify.

* Lobbying the Legislature to give cities more local control in code enforcement.

* Spreading information to residents about code requirements through such means as inserts to water bills.