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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNS-1511EJC:ms 11/8/79 ORDINANCE NS-] 5] ] AN ORDINANCE OF ~H~ CITY OF SANTA ANA ADDING ARTICLE X TO CHAPTER 8 OF THE SANTA ANA MUNICIPAL CODE PERTAINING TO THE MAINTENANCE OF MULTIPLE FAMILY BUILDINGS, DEFINED AS FIVE OR MORE UNITS, TEN OR MORE YEARS OLD, AND ABATEMENT AND PROSECUTION OF NUISANCES. WHEREAS, the City of Santa Ana has a history and reputation for well kept properties and the property values and the general welfare of this community are founded, in part, upon the appearance and maintenance of properties; and WHEREAS, there now appears a need for further emphasis on the maintenance of a number of premises in that certain conditions, as described hereinafter, have been found from place to place throughout the City; and WHEREAS, the existence of such hereinafter described conditions is injurious and inimical to the public health, safety and welfare of the residents of this City and contributes substantially and increasingly to the problems of requiring expenditures for protection against hazards, and diminution of property values, prevention of crime and the preservation of the public health, safety and welfare and the maintenance of police, fire and accident protection; and WHEREAS, such problems are becoming increasingly direct and substantial in significance and effect and the uses and abuses of property as described herein are reasonably related to the proper exercise of the police power in the protection of health, safety, and welfare of the public; and WHEREAS, unless corrective measures are undertaken to alleviate such existing conditions and particularly to avoid future problems in this regard, the public health, safety and general welfare and specifically the property values and social and economic standards of this community will be depreciated; and WHEREAS, such measures will enhance the appearance and value of such properties rather than be a burden on the owners thereof; and WHEREAS the prosecution and abatement of such conditions will also appreciate the values and appearance of neighboring properties and benefit the use and enjoyment of properties in the general area and will improve the general welfare and image of the City. NOW, THEREFORE, 'the City Council of the City of Santa Aha does ordain as follows: is hereby Article X SECTION 1: That the Santa Aha Municipal Code, amended by adding an article, to be numbered of Chapter 8, which article reads as follows: ARTICLE X. PROPERTY MAINTENANCE OF MULTIPLE FAMILY BUILDINGS. Sec. 8-1950. Definitions. Unless the particular provision or the context otherewise requires, the definitions and provisions contained in this section shall govern the construction, meaning, and application of words and phrases used in this article: ORDINANCE NS-] 5] ] PAGE TWO (a) Multiple family ~ means a building, or portion thereof, which is designed, built, rented, or leased to be occupied, or which is occupied as the home or residence of five (5) or more families, as defined in Section 8-43 of this code, living independently of each other, and shall include hotels, condominiums, motels and apartment houses, and which building is ten (10) or more years old. (b) Premises means a lot or parcel of land upon which a multiple family building is situated, including any portion thereof improved or unimproved, adjacent streets, sidewalks, parkways and parking areas. Sec. 8-1951. Maintenance of Multiple Family Buildings and Premises. It shall be unlawful for any person owning, leasing, or having any possessory interest in a multiple family building or individual unit(s) therein, to maintain such building or units therein or premises in such a manner that any of the following conditions exist thereon: (a) Buildings or units therein which are abandoned, left open, partially destroyed, or only partially constructed and remaining in that condition for more than sixty (60) days without being repaired or completed as required by the Director of Building Safety and Housing. (b) Broken windows, remaining in that condition for more than thirty (30) days and constituting hazardous conditions or inviting trespassers or malicious mischief~ (c)) Signs relating to uses no longer conducted or products no longer sold at the building presently used as a multiple family building. (d) Causing substantial diminution of the enjoyment, use, or property values of adjacent properties by failing to maintain building or premises to the maintenance standards of the adjacent properties. Sec. 8-1952. Maintenance of Property. Abatement of Nuisances by Repair, Rehabilitation, Demolition or Removal. (a) Ail or any part of premises found by the Director of Building Safety and Housing to be maintained in violation of section 8-1951 are declared to be a public nuisance and may be abated by rehabilitation, demolition, or repair pursuant to the procedures set forth in Chapter 17 of Jthis Code. (b) The procedures set forth in Chapter 17 shall not in any manner, however, limit or restrict the city from enforcing criminal sanctions under Section 8-1951 or other city ordinances or state law, or limit the city from abating public nuisances in any other manner provided by law. ORDINANCE NO. NS-]5]] PAGE THREE Sec. 8-1953. Failure to Request a Public Hearing. In the absence of a request by the property owner for a public hearing within ten (10) days of the date of service of the notice of abatement as set forth in Chapter 17 of this Code, and upon the expiration of the period for abatement of the public nuisance by the owners and no abatement having occurred to the satisfaction of the Director of Building Safety and Housing, the City Council may by resolution declare the condition a public nuisance and order a designated officer of the city to abate the public nuisance and order that the cost of any such abatement be assessed against the premises and collected in the manner provided in Chapter 17 of this Code. If the City Council determines that the property is to be abated then the abatement shall proceed in the manner set forth in ~ 17-25 of this Code. Sec. 8-1954. Non-Compliance with the Notice to Abate; Recordation. (a) If compliance is not had with the Notice to Abate within the time specified therein, and no request for a public hearing has been properly and timely filed pursuant to Section 17-23 of this ~Code, and the City Council having declared the condition a public nuisance, the City Manager shall file in the office of the County Recorder a certificate describing the premises and certifying (i) that the premises have been found to be maintained as a public nuisance in violation of this Chapter of the Santa Aha Municipal Code, (ii) that the owner has been so notified, and (iii) that there having been no compliance with nor timely request for a public hearing, and the City Council having declared the premises to be a public nuisance, the required rehabilitation, demolition or repair will be performed by the City of Santa Aha and the cost thereof will be assessed against the property as a lien equal in priority to a lien for ordinary municipal taxes. (b) After the nuisance has been abated by the City the assessment proceedings shall be conducted according to the provisions of Article III of Chapter 17 of this Code. Sec. 8-1955. Violation and Penalty (a) It shall be unlawful for any owner, lessee, or person having an ownership or possessory interest in property which is found in violation of any of the provisions of § 8-1951 of this Code, to fail to comply with the notice to abate the violation within the noticed time period. Any such person shall be deemed guilty of an infraction and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not exceeding Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) and for a second conviction within a period of one year, by a fine not exceeding Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00), and for a third or any subsequent conviction within a period of one year, by a fine of not exceeding Four Hundred Dollars ($400.00). ORDINANCE NS-] 5] ] PAGE FOUR (b) Each person described in subsection (a) above shall be deemed guilty of a separate offense for each day during any portion of which any violation of any of the provisions of section 8-1951 is committed, continued or permitted by such persons and shall be punishable therefor as provided in subsection (a) above. SECTION 2: If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby declares that it would have adopted this ordinance and each section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or portion thereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases, or portions be declared invalid or unconstitutional. SECTION 3: Neither the adoption of this ordinance nor the repeal hereby of any ordinance shall in any manner affect the prosecution for violation of ordinances, which violations were committed prior to the effective date hereof, nor be construed as affecting any of the provisions of such ordinance relating to the collection of any such license or penalty or the penal provision applicable to any violation thereof, nor to affect the validity of any bond or cash deposit in lieu thereof, required to be posted, filed or deposited pursuant to any ordinance and all rights and obligations thereunder appertaining shall continue in full force and effect. ADOPTED this 3rd day of December , 1979, by the following vote: AYES: COUNCILMEN: NOES: COUNCILMEN: Bricken, Griset, Luxembourger, Markel, Serrato, Ward, Yamamoto None ABSENT: COUNCILMEN: None ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM: KEITH L. GOW, City Attorney MAYOR