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Code enforcement can protect home addresses via the State’s Safe At Home Program
In 2020, it was estimated that 65 percent of code enforcement professionals were assaulted or threatened, and about 29 percent had been threatened with a deadly weapon, which is why SB 1131 was imperative. In September 2022 the Governor signed SB 1131 into law, which expanded the eligibility for address confidentiality with the California Secretary of State’s Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program. In the newly included eligibility for address confidentiality are code enforcement professionals, which comes at a time when this specific group is being targeted and even murdered at a higher rate than ever before, which is arguably attributed to civil unrest as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The law, which was effective immediately after signing, provides the ability to utilize a State-provided mailing address in lieu of a home address for a variety of public documents. The goal is to elevate the safety and security of specified professionals who face violence, threats, and/or harassment for simply doing their job as code enforcement officers. It’s imperative that all code enforcement officers share this news with colleagues regarding their eligibility for the Safe at...
Serviam by Wright Llp Helps Another City Remediate a Blighted Drug House Without Litigation
For years, a residential property on Albyn Court in Newark, California tormented the neighborhood as a dilapidated drug house. The property was an “orphan” property in which the owner had died, and the heirs were not taking responsibility for it. These scenarios often lead to the property being used for nefarious purposes. Following neighbor complaints and several police responses to the property, the City inspected and confirmed over 85 substandard conditions and violations of State and City laws on the property. Inside, the living conditions were horrendous, featuring violations including electrical, fire and structure hazards, unpermitted construction, unsanitary living conditions, and excessive amounts of trash, junk, and debris, among others. Outside and visible to the neighborhood, the nuisance property had overgrown vegetation and a junked vehicle. Surprisingly, the property was occupied in these extreme conditions and was a repeated source of unlawful drug and other nuisance activities, resulting in a large volume of calls for service to law enforcement, which had to place additional patrols around the neighborhood to protect the neighbors. This cost the City and its...
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Located in Irvine, California, Serviam by Wright LLP is a leading law firm specializing in nuisance abatement, code enforcement, receiverships, municipal prosecution, liability defense, municipal services, court receiver, and hearing officer services. Visit Serviam.Law for further information.