REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
October 10, 2019
FROM: DOUGLAS SLOAN, City Attorney
City Attorney's Office
SUBJECT
Title
ASET and Code Enforcement Report and Obtain Council Direction on structural changes, funding, and enforcement priorities.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
City Attorney's Office to provide Code Enforcement Report to include ASET quarterly status report. The CAO is also seeking direction concerning any Code structural changes, funding, and enforcement priorities.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Effective July 1, 2019, Code Enforcement was moved to the City Attorney's Office. Code Enforcement includes three divisions: Rental Housing, Community Compliance, and the Neighborhood Revitalization Team (NRT). Rental Housing oversees the Anti-Slum Enforcement Team (ASET) and the Rental Housing Improvement Act (RHIA) Inspection Unit. Community Compliance currently oversees teams dedicated to geographical areas, and specialty teams dedicated to reactive rental housing, vacant buildings, illegal dumping citations, tires, demolitions, mobile vending, and vacant lots. NRT is a part of the Restore Fresno program dedicated to improving designated neighborhoods. Also, as part of the FY20 Budget process, $250,000 of funding was cut from Code Enforcement. Council may consider restoring some or all of the funding cut with carryover/surplus or other funds.
BACKGROUND
ASET
On November 17, 2016, the Council adopted a resolution approving ASET with the goal of increasing the stock of affordable and habitable rental housing by pursuing and improving slum properties with substantial health and safety violations through enforcement, education, fines, receiverships, and compliance agreements. The partnership between legal staff and code enforcement staff has led to compliance of approximately 8,800 violations in over 606 units.
ASET currently has 30 open cases with properties containing more than 400 rental units. Of these active cases, 18 have signed Compliance Agreements and two are ...
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