Neatness Counts in Law Proposed by Simi Council

SIMI VALLEY — Intuitively, you know which property owners run afoul of suburban aesthetics and ignore basic standards of upkeep: that woman with the waist-high weeds and towers of tumbleweeds; the man whose frontyard features a jalopy on blocks instead of a bird fountain.

But what about that couple with a few bald patches of lawn, a torn screen and some paint peeling off a stucco wall? Should they be forced by city law to straighten up?

That was the essence of debate Monday night as the Simi Valley City Council tackled what would be the city’s first property-maintenance ordinance. The proposed law is designed to eliminate community eyesores and possible threats to public health and safety.

“Property maintenance is one of those things where, yeah, we want to do it, but when you start getting into specifics, everyone gets a little nervous,” said Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton before the meeting.

“There has to be a balance between people who have let their house get run-down and some self-appointed neighborhood snoop running around saying ‘Two of your petunias are dead.’ ”

Council members eventually approved the creation of such an ordinance late Monday, but not before limiting its scope.

While junk cars in the frontyard and dead vegetation were dubbed clear violations, bare dirt in yards and minimally peeling paint were left out of the law, which will be drafted by City Atty. John Torrance and returned to the council for adoption in January.

Council members said that only blatant neglect of landscaping should be addressed. And they vowed that initial infractions of the ordinance would be handled not with a hefty fee but with a friendly letter to the property owner, requesting repairs.

The ordinance would be enforced administratively, rather than through the courts.

If a homeowner did not comply with repeated requests, city staffers would perform the task and charge the resident on annual property tax bills.

“The key words here are, ‘It sticks out like a sore thumb,’ ” said Councilwoman Sandi Webb. “It’s obvious to everyone. That’s the one [property] we want them to do something about.”

The city wants to try a property-maintenance law “without jumping in with both feet,” said City Councilman Bill Davis before the meeting.

“If we find some loopholes later, it’s far easier to tighten them up than backtracking and saying we went too far.”

The property-maintenance ordinance has been about a year in the making.

Lawmakers were inspired to take up the issue after seeing trashed properties during gang sweeps. On Tapo Street, the conditions of earthquake-destroyed buildings--since razed--had also offended some residents and council members.

Unkempt properties not only serve as a magnet for graffiti and vermin, city leaders say, but also reduce the value of neighboring properties.