HomeMy WebLinkAboutSB1416_20180910_LetterToMcGuireCity of San Luis Obispo, Office of the City Council, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3249, 805.781.7114, slocity.org
September 18, 2018
The Honorable Edmund G. Brown
Governor, State of California
State Capitol, First Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
VIA Email: Leg.Unit@gov.ca.gov
RE: SB 1416 (McGuire) Local Government: Nuisance Abatement
Request for Signature
Dear Governor Brown,
The City of San Luis Obispo requests your signature on SB 1416 (McGuire), which would allow cities
and counties to recover fines related to nuisance abatement through liens and special assessments.
Under current law, local agencies can recover costs related to abating a nuisance by imposing a special
assessment against the property. In order for a city to recover unpaid fines associated with a nuisance
abatement it must go through the courts, which can be costly and time consuming.
SB 1416 would give local agencies the ability to use special assessment and abatement liens to collect
unpaid fines and would provide a stronger incentive for property owners to comply with local
ordinances. It is important to note that this measure would require these funds to be used only for the
following purposes: 1) support enforcement of state and local building and fire codes and municipal
codes related to nuisances; and 2) facilitate compliance with state and local building and fire code
standards, including through the establishment of a revolving loan fund at the municipal level for
rehabilitating substandard housing.
Unchecked nuisances such as the accumulation of flammable material in and around a building can
lead to a whole host of public health and safety issues which have resulted in recent tragedies. By
giving local agencies stronger code enforcement authority that mirrors the authority they already have
to collect nuisance abatement costs, cities will be better equipped to protect public health and safety.
For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo respectfully requests your signature on SB 1416
(McGuire).
Sincerely,
Heidi Harmon
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo
cc: Senator Mike McGuire senator.mcguire@senate.ca.gov
Graciela Castillo-Krings, Deputy Legislative Secretary, Office of Governor Brown
Leg.Unit@gov.ca.gov
Dave Mullinax dmullinax@cacities.org
Meg Desmond, League of California Cities, cityletters@cacities.org