STOCKTON — Code enforcement throughout San Joaquin County needs to be improved, either through grants, volunteers or increased budgets, according to a report released this week.
The San Joaquin County civil grand jury released its report on code enforcement departments in the county on Tuesday, and found that many cities still affected by the 2008 housing crash have been unable to keep their respective units at acceptable effective levels.
As a result, code enforcement efforts have been reactive, not proactive, the grand jury said.
The report was most critical of the city of Lathrop, whose code enforcement department consists of one supervisor that works 30 hours a week, and one vacant position that has been budgeted but remains unfilled.
Department duties are also supplemented by a full-time building inspector working on a part-time basis, the grand jury found. The city has also used private contractors as code enforcement officers on either a full- or part-time basis, the report states.
The most recent contractor, however, did not meet the qualifications of a code enforcement officer according to city standards, and was later elevated to supervisor, the grand jury found.
Lathrop code enforcement deals primarily with trash and debris, weed abatement, abandoned automobiles and commercial trucks parking illegally in undeveloped areas or areas not properly zoned.
However, the grand jury reported that the city is reluctant to enforce the illegal parking issue, as city officials claim this would present a financial hardship for truck drivers and property owners involved.
The grand jury recommended Lathrop consistently enforce the illegal parking issue, as well as advertise for and fill the vacant code enforcement position.
Lathrop City Manager Stephen Salvatore was unavailable for comment.
The city of Escalon is the only community in the county without any kind of code enforcement, the grand jury found. The position was eliminated in 2008, and code enforcement responsibilities are divided over multiple departments such as public works or development services.
However, the city is exploring the idea of implementing ordinances to increase code violation fines, as well as to address abandoned vehicles. The grand jury recommended Escalon explore budget options to restore the code enforcement position.
Other cities, such as Lodi, Manteca and Ripon, have one or two full-time code enforcement officials under the direction of their respective police departments, while the city of Tracy employs one code enforcement manager and four officers.
The grand jury acknowledged that the housing crash of 2008 affected finances but recommended the four cities explore budget options and grant funding to improve code enforcement efforts. For Manteca and Ripon, the grand jury also recommended exploring the idea of using volunteers as code enforcement officers.
The county of San Joaquin and city of Stockton received positive reviews of their code enforcement efforts.
The county has three full-time officers and a part-time clerk to deal with the same blight issues other communities in the county combat, the report states, and the only recommendation the grand jury had for the county was expanding enforcement efforts to prohibit illegal truck parking.
Stockton’s code enforcement department operates under the neighborhood services division of the Stockton Police Department. There are 44 full-time employees, 26 of which are code enforcement officers.
The grand jury highlighted the department’s Neighborhood Blitz Team as a positive example of proactive enforcement; the team identifies specific areas in the city struggling with blight and high crime, then works to correct it.
The report also noted that Stockton’s code enforcement department recently obtained a grant to begin enforcing issues along the waterways, such as blight and abandoned boats. As a result, Stockton was not given any recommendations in the report.
The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors and the city councils of the other six cities in the region were given 90 days to respond to the presiding judge of the court.
July 4, 2018
Stockton Record
By Wes Bowers
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