News
Find our news releases, case updates, community tips, and more here on the Silver & Wright blog.
SB 1465—amended Health & Safety Code to beef-up receiverships & substandard building enforcement
Legal Update: Effective January 1, 2025, California amended the Health and Safety Code to beef-up receiverships and substandard building enforcement for cities and counties.
Serviam by Wright LLP adopts family of four this holiday season and rolls out new volunteer initiative
Serviam by Wright LLP’s ongoing mission to protect and serve the community is closing the year on a high note as they adopted a family of four - including three children for The Priority Center's Families Helping Families Holiday Drive in Orange County. After signing...
City of Hawthorne Files Lawsuit Against Hawthorne Mall Owner Following Years of Nuisance Activity
For decades, the Hawthorne Mall -- located at 12000 and 12200 Hawthorne Blvd. – in the City of Hawthorne has been a defunct shopping center creating blight and dangers for the community. What was once a centerpiece of the local community in its bustling downtown has...
Best Practices On Documenting Threats And Possible Measures for Court Action to Obtain Protection
Too many of our code enforcement officers receive dangerous threats to their safety while on the field, even sometimes off-work.
Serviam by Wright LLP assist City of Palmdale garner cease and desist letter to remove squatters
The City of Palmdale partnered with Silver & Wright to garner a cease and desist letter to remove squatters from two parcels of land.
Stanislaus County partners with Serviam by Wright LLP to successfully cease unlawful cannabis cultivation
Serviam by Wright LLP was contacted by Stanislaus County (Northern California) to assist them in a case where a homeowner was unlawfully utilizing their property for commercial cannabis cultivation. Our firm successfully garnered an inspection warrant, notice of...
Legal alert: Appeals of administrative fines pursuant to Government Code 53069.4
A new Court of Appeal decision may affect how someone appeals a city or county issued administrative fine. In Wang v. City of Sacramento Police Department, the city of Sacramento issued $137,000 in administrative fines against the appellant, Wang, due to his tenants’...
Serviam by Wright LLP Mentioned in The American Reporter
Serviam by Wright LLP would like to thank The American Reporter for mentioning our firm in regard to the positive code enforcement work we do with local municipalities in the recent article titled What You Should Know Before Leasing a Municipality-Owned Property. In...
Duarte Apartment Complex to be Rehabilitated After Years of Unsafe Living for Residents
*Update - On June 2, 2021, the City of Duarte hosted an informational meeting for the tenants of the apartment complex. The purpose of this meeting was for the court-appointed receiver to provide all relevant information to the tenants about the rehabilitation and...
Serviam by Wright LLP assists City of Hawthorne attain receivership to transform blighted property
Serviam by Wright LLP brought forth its legal expertise to attain a receivership on behalf of the City of Hawthorne to transform a 1920's home after being abandoned for over 15 years. For many years, neighbors to the blighted house filed complaints to the Hawthorne...
Court of Appeals Upholds Rights of Cities to Seek Specialized Counsel
In a win for municipal rights across the State, the California Court of Appeals reaffirmed the rights of California cities to hire outside specialized counsel when addressing code enforcement violations. Importantly, and at the urging of Serviam by Wright LLP...
Boutique Firms: Why Specialized Code Enforcement Firms are a City’s Best Friend
The prudent use of outside counsel enhances the effectiveness of municipal representation by providing supplemental ‘niche’ expertise and experience which may be utilized (and paid for) only as the specific need arises. City Attorney Michael H. Miller This...
Case Highlight: Residential property goes from severe deterioration to restoration
Serviam by Wright LLP Attorneys assisted the City of Richmond (located in Northern California) with obtaining a receiver for a residential property that was abandoned and a safety hazard to the community. As a result of the collaborative effort, the uninhabitable...
Beyond Code Enforcement
Serviam by Wright LLP is known for its trusted legal services regarding municipal support, nuisance abatement, and receiverships. But the firm’s expertise goes beyond plaintiff-based code enforcement law…
Gun Violence Restraining Orders: How to Use Them to Protect Your Community
When it comes to protecting communities against gun violence, law enforcement officers are working harder than ever to mitigate risks in their jurisdictions to keep civilians and their fellow officers safe. A tool that California’s officers have at their disposal to...
Legislation to Watch: California Code Enforcement Officer Safety
As code enforcement officers continue to make the news for the dangerous situations that they are faced within the course of their work, there are two bills (SB101 and SB296) making their way through the legislative process that would serve to protect California’s...
Iconic Building in the Heart of Downtown Salinas to Be Restored After Years of Enforcement and Litigation
In downtown Salinas, California, the Bruhn Building has been a danger to the community for over a decade, most pressingly after a devastating fire in 2016 nearly destroyed the iconic commercial space, leaving it a hazardous shell of a building with little to no...
Vehicle Abatement: Case Law and Suggestions for Success
Abandoned vehicles are not only unsightly and can serve as the source of repeated complaints from nearby neighbors and businesses, they can also prove to be a public health hazard in more extreme circumstances. Code Enforcement officers tasked with abating abandoned,...
Serviam by Wright LLP Partnered With Operation Warm Wishes to Ensure Every Child Opened a Gift This Christmas
On Christmas Day 2020, Serviam by Wright LLP partnered with Operation Warm Wishes to provide toys, coats, laundry services, and more at its Gift of Giving Christmas Celebration. The event ensured hundreds of underserved children in Orange County had the opportunity to...
Impacts Of Hoarding On Communities
Hoarding is an issue and a large factor in many of the nuisance cases our firm works on. A lack of code compliance and decreased quality of life is often the result of hoarding. Although the topic of hoarding has become more well known due to things like television...
Property Rights: Addressing Blight in Your Community While Respecting Constitutional Property Rights
Homelessness has been an issue at the forefront of the minds of California lawmakers for years now. As housing prices continue to climb and the COVID-19 pandemic ravages on, more people find themselves without shelter and local agencies are struggling to find a...