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Item 19 - CODE ENFORCEMENT DIVISION UPDATEAGENDA ITEM NO. 19 AGENDA STAFF REPORT City of West Covina I Office of the City Manager DATE: December 6, 2022 TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: David Carmany City Manager SUBJECT: CODE ENFORCEMENT DIVISION UPDATE RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council receive and file this information report. BACKGROUND: The Code Enforcement Division has added several full-time officers since July 1, 2022, and it is important that the City Council and community have a full understanding of the Division and how it functions. DISCUSSION: Staff will present an overview of the Division's operations, procedures, and data on violations (Attachment No. 1). OPTIONS: It is recommended that the City Council receive and file the update from Community Development - Code Enforcement Division. Prepared by: Milan Mrakich Code Enforcement Manager Attachments Attachment No. 1 - Code Enforcement Update Presentation CITY COUNCIL GOALS & OBJECTIVES: Protect Public Safety Enhance City Image and Effectiveness �� T„ r •1 • ~ • L. 1J r 7 i`f ri k l .r' -c-'. %;uc 1 '' im f 1'. F• rC' • -F'j ATTACHMENT NO. I .- PUBLIC NUISANCE IW2574 2170 3266 BUILDING AND SAFETY ■ 267 239 376 ABANDONED VEHICLES 44 158 157 504 GRAFFITI 58 207 293 ILLEGAL HAULERS 55 73 51 BUSINESS LICENSE 31 23 23 ZONING 26 31 92 SIGNAGE 22 39 125 OTHER 77 51 49 Trash and Debris 1 185 1 182 1584 Overgrown Vegetation 1099 618 1094 Inoperable Vehicles (Private Property) 592 435 764 Graffiti 108 292 398 Trash Cans 600 259 475 UnpavedYard Parking 339 242 395 Stop Work Notices 395 185 287 Landscaping and Parkways 610 302 364 Dead Tree &Vegetation 131 130 205 Illegal Dumpster 78 82 86 Other 1157 1053 1905 CODE ENFORCEMENT CASES AND VIOLATIONS 3268 2727 6294 4779 1 4765 7557 Inspections 9438 6667 13961 Case Notes 2168 1993 5209 Courtesy Notice 2305 2108 3754 Notice of Violation 1607 1610 2980 Notice of Citation 690 764 1253 Administrative Citations 701 767 1015 Office Conference 89 62 93 ThankYou Letters 1640 1498 2892 Citizen Complaints 1456 2561 4473 Phone Calls 1514 1032 2949 Emails and Letters 1725 1710 3378 Time Extensions on Violations 271 311 1082 TOTAL: 23604 21023 43039 Election Parking Enforcement Parking Violations Inoperable Vehicles (Public Right of Way) Code Enforcement Division is working in collaboration with West Covina Police Department in updating our Emergency Operations Plan and will serve as emergency disaster workers The plan includes: Continue working in collaboration with the community to address concerns. Continue to work in collaboration with City maintenance team. Preserve and enhance the property values of residential and commercial properties through Code Enforcement efforts. Work closely with commercial and residential property owners to improve and update the appearance of assets. Increase the training and development of our code enforcement officers. Milan M. Mrakich Code Enforcement Manager Code Enforcements objective is to gain voluntary code compliance from property owners, business owners, and/or tenants whenever possible. In those cases where we have been unable to achieve voluntary compliance through a series of written requests, or in those cases where the property owner, business owner, and/or tenant indicates that they will not correct the violation, additional enforcement actions may be taken. In 2020, the Code Enforcement Division formed and was comprised of one full-time manager and seven part-time officers. In July of 2022, the Code Enforcement Division was reorganized to include: I full-time manager I full-time supervisor 4 full-time officers 6 part-time officers The Code Enforcement Officers utilize a fleet of 8 repurposed vehicles: 3 Ford Explorers from the Police Department 3 Ford Escapes from Public Services Department I Ford Crown Victoria from the Fire Department I Ford F 150 Pickup from Public Services Department All vehicles are over or approaching 100,000 miles For the purpose of providing a balanced level of patrol and enforcement, in the city, Code Enforcement is broken down into 4 service areas. Each service area has one dedicated full-time officer supported by one or more part-time staff as available. Our service areas mirror the service areas that are used by our Police Department. SERVICE AREA I -NORTH SERVICE AREA 2 - EAST SERVICE AREA 3 - CENTRAL SERVICE AREA 4 - SOUTH OPEN CASES IN SERVICE AREAS North„ i , IIIgh ScI ,nl n - - - - Clr jnnl j I t', oc �� riIm '((.oan j The Home Depot' r' t ^" in'.. .)'t Srh t �r ''at r Br Plaza West Covina & 1°ACD 8,i: n - ,s West Co'' is _.. T1 .W —t:l „. — �� hna S� •� Lr �- ';'�Qd qal Fd ildc; - �' 11 1Ve � �!ina♦ .P,ark�y aDMV�t- r m 'S .�' WALNUT VALLE, Mt. San =r a' Antonio ;F Mercea Aver College Frmeiequilo-Ave Tokyo Central la Magey a e$Y Sehab rum Skyline Traif _ - ! rcalr ParLL OPEN CASES IN SERVICE AREAS �T go SDownload and check out "west Covina Report an Issue" App! West Covina Report an Issue ANDROID 589 786 2452 IPHONE 3133 4341 7157 PHONE/EMAIL 2627 2683 2408 WEBSITE 1718 2534 1873 TOTAL: 8067 10344 21010 Ia*] 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 ion January February March April May June July ■OPEN CLOSED August 11 11 September October November 1200 1000 ■ 600 400 200 0 January February March April May June July August September October November ■OPEN CLOSED CODE OFFICER OBS. 1875 1666 3809 RESIDENT 691 966 544 CITY STAFF 345 151 214 ANONYMOUS 357 207 212 TOTAL CASES: 3268 2990 4779 Inspection: An inspection is conducted to determine if there is a violation. Courtesy Notice (if first time violator): Courtesy Notice is mailed to the property owner, business owner and/or tenant, if required, requesting voluntary compliance. Notice of Violation: Notice of Violation is mailed to the property owner and all responsible parties for the subject property outlining code violations and possible remedies to abate the violations. Notice of Administrative Citation: Notice of Administrative Citation is mailed to the property owner and all responsible parties for the subject property outlining code violations and possible remedies to abate the violations, once again requesting voluntary compliance before fines are imposed. If there is no correction after the initial visit and subsequent requests for correction, the handling Code Enforcement Officer would evaluate the situation. If it appears the violation is not going to be corrected after the noticing process, an Administrative Citation would be prepared and mailed, which includes a fine, and gives the violator twenty-one (21) days to pay or contest the citation. ■ Administrative Citation: Citation issued to the property owner and all responsible parties regarding outstanding code violations found at subject property. The Administrative Citation will also include remedies to abate the outstanding violation(s) before additional fines are imposed. In extreme cases where an imminent threat to public health and safety exists, such as slumlord living conditions or fire/life safety issues, an Administrative Citation may be used as a first step in order to ensure immediate compliance. Notice to Appear at Office Conference: Final attempt to gain voluntary compliance at the staff level w i I I be a Notice to Appear at Office Conference with the Code Enforcement Manager. These conferences are held to obtain voluntary compliance by setting goals and timelines that are acceptable to both staff, the property owner, and all responsible parties. If the violator fails to appear at the office conference, a Failure to Appear Notice would be issued, and the case would then be referred to the City Prosecutor for review and direction how to proceed with enforcement actions. These actions may include additional Administrative Citations or the City may pursue other legal remedies, such as civil penalties, nuisance abatement hearing, criminal prosecution and/or civil injunction up to and including an emergency application to appoint a receiver to prevent, restrain, correct, or abate the violations with costs of abatement including attorney's fees payable by responsible parties (Cal. Health & Safety Code §§ 17980.6 & 17980.7).