Section 17998.2 Of Chapter 8. Code Enforcement Incentive Program From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 13. >> Part 1.5. >> Chapter 8.
17998.2
. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature in the enactment
of this section to do all of the following:
(1) Initiate a coordinated active community approach to code
enforcement.
(2) Create a pilot program in which the department awards grants
to communities that develop a code enforcement program pursuant to
the criteria established by this section.
(3) Substantially reduce the incidence of substandard housing
through the use of creative and coordinated techniques of code
enforcement involving an interdepartmental approach at the local
government level.
(b) The grant program established pursuant to this section shall
be known as the Community Code Enforcement Pilot Program. The
Department of Housing and Community Development shall administer the
Community Code Enforcement Pilot Program.
(1) The department need not adopt regulations for the program. The
department shall publish and distribute a Notice of Funding
Availability that contains application forms and instructions,
eligibility criteria, criteria for the rating and ranking of
applications, outcome evaluation criteria, interim or final reporting
requirements, and other information that the department considers
necessary or useful for implementation of the program.
(2) The department shall review, rate, and rank applications based
on its evaluation of the information provided pursuant to
subdivision (e), and their projected program performance as measured
by all of the following criteria, considering the size of the
applicant community:
(A) The minimum number of housing units affordable to lower income
households that will be rehabilitated or otherwise brought into
compliance with applicable building and housing codes.
(B) The estimated amount of grants and low interest rehabilitation
loan funds, from sources other than this program, that will be made
available to the owners of housing units affordable to lower income
households that are determined to need rehabilitation or repair
pursuant to the program.
(C) The incidence of poverty and deteriorating housing or housing
code violations in each target area.
(3) In addition to the other criteria in this subdivision, the
department shall attempt to award community code enforcement pilot
program grants to cities, counties, and cities and counties with a
wide range of population sizes and compositions and geographical
distribution.
(c) The department shall award community code enforcement pilot
program grants for programs that shall operate for more than three
years. The grants shall not exceed four hundred fifty thousand
dollars ($450,000), which shall pay for costs incurred over the life
of the program. The department may establish minimum grant levels and
lower maximum grant levels, depending on the amount and uses of
funding sources.
(d) Each city, county, or city and county receiving a grant shall
develop a code enforcement team consisting of a least one full-time
code enforcement officer and a part-time city planner, health
officer, or comparable specialist. Each grantee shall provide, and
fund at its own expense, at least one city planner, health officer,
or comparable specialist for the duration of the pilot program, for a
minimum of 20 hours per week. The grant funds shall be used for the
code enforcement officer and related program costs, which may include
full-time or part-time personnel, in addition to the grantee's
contributions, or for capital expenditures.
(e) Grant proposals shall include all of the following:
(1) Demonstration of serious, current housing code enforcement
deficiencies within each target area, whether those code deficiencies
are in violation of locally enacted ordinances or state codes.
(2) A plan to have high visibility of code enforcement staff and
to create close and frequent communication and interaction with
residents and property owners of the target area, including in the
evenings and on weekends.
(3) A plan to convene community meetings to inform residents of
the pilot program.
(4) A plan to conduct ongoing frequent informal and formal
community meetings with the code enforcement team and residents of
the community involved in the pilot program.
(5) A plan demonstrating an intent to ensure cooperative and
effective working relationships between code enforcement officials,
local health department officials, local prosecutorial agencies, and
officials operating local programs providing public funds to finance
affordable rental housing rehabilitation and repairs.
(6) A plan for timely and effective administrative and judicial
enforcement of code violations.
(f) The administrator of each grantee's pilot program shall
evaluate the pilot program and report the findings and other criteria
requested by the department indicating the effectiveness of the
pilot program to the department within six months after completion of
each program cycle approved by the department and funded by the
Legislature. The department may require submission of interim
progress reports. The administrator shall evaluate the pilot program
based on criteria including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) Results of a participant survey, including owners, residents,
and active community leaders.
(2) Comparison of each targeted area with similar neighborhoods
with respect to repeat calls for service and other criteria testing
the effectiveness of the pilot program.
(3) The extent of any perceived or actual property value change
between the commencement and the completion of the pilot program.
(4) The number of cases opened and the number of cases closed,
identifying the nature of code violations, the necessity of formal
proceedings, the cost and nature of abatement violations, or other
factors influencing the effectiveness of the pilot program.
(g) The department shall review and report to the Legislature
within six months after the grant recipient's submission date on the
findings of the pilot program administrators.