Renters are Inferior to Homeowners, and Landlords are Derelict or is the Writing on the Wall

E-mailed comment:
Another revenue source for the city, anything to make a buck to hire more enforcers. Maybe the "code enorcement officer" is not being paid enough for his other job. This should be ugly to all the residents.


http://www.pe.com/localnews/sanbernardino/stories/PE_News_Local_B_brent02.2a1fa7.html

City takes aim at blighted rentals
11:49 PM PDT on Friday, July 1, 2005
By PAUL LAROCCO / The Press-Enterprise

GRAND TERRACE - The city is willing to bet there's more than just a mortgage separating the homeowners from the renters in Grand Terrace.

Undermaintained rental properties contribute most of the blight in Grand Terrace, and a proposed ordinance that would enact fines and inspection fees for landlords may be the solution, a staff report says.

"Unfortunately, renters don't have that same drive or desire to keep up their home," said Councilwoman Bea Cortes, "because it's not theirs."

Cortes and her four colleagues will discuss the planned rental housing-inspection ordinance at the July 14 City Council meeting. If the reception is positive, Assistant City Manager Steve Berry said he hopes to get the ordinance finalized, approved and set into motion by January.

Under the plan, all the city's rental-property owners would be required to pay an annual fee for city code compliance inspections: $95 per rental home and either $36 or $48 per apartment complex unit, depending on the size of the complex.

The fees will provide the city an estimated $70,000 per year, Berry said, which would go toward hiring another code enforcement officer to focus solely on inspecting eyesore rental properties.


GrandPaTerrace's Thoughts:
I recall Council Member Miller requesting a List of All Rental Properties, and a List of all those who have problems, to be prepared and presented to the City Council. I do not recall there being a public presentation of the "List of Blight" Remember Blight is one reason for the use of Eminent Domain. Remember the area up around Preston, and Barton Road, and Palm is PLANED for "Redevelopment" into Office and Professional Space.

We don't need more inspectors if the Council's request for a list could in fact be made. We don't need more inspectors or the city defining the "Proper" use of a persons property rental or owned. Get out of the business of the citizen, get off their land, keep your hands out of their pockets. If there is a meth lab, call the police, If there is a fire hazard, call the fire department. If there is a health problem call the Health Department. But, get the heck off the hide a tax to increase the city staff, and the city harassment of its citizens. Yes Landlords and Renters are citizens. Not that the City actually cares about the Resident Home Owners all that much.

This is just step one on taking the property from the land owners, don't be fooled.