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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - July 7, 1993� os o� • CITY OF LODI COUNCIL COMMUNICATION AGENDA TITLE: Report by Virginia Snyder, East Side Improvement Committee MEETING DATE: July 7, 1993 PREPARED BY: City Clerk RECOMMENDED ACTION: None required. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Attached please find report by Virginia Snyder, Lodi East Side Improvement Committee. Mrs. Snyder will be present at the July 7, 1993 City Council meeting to present this report. FUNDING: None required. er eDr (in``tl') COUNC130/TXTA.02J/COUNCOM APPROVED:- `Awl THOMAS A. PETERSON recycw P&PW City Manager c:c-� 1 July 7, 1993 TO: City Council, Jim Schroeder, Tom ''eterson, Bob McNatt FROM: Virginia Snyder, EastSid�_ Tmprove!nent Committee RE: Mayor Pennino's request for update on Code Enforcem=nt At the request of Mayor Pennino, this report deals with code enforcement in Lodi. Gentlemen, I would like to be able to tell you that code enforcement in Lodi is working, and that citizen complaints are being handled in a timely manner. Unfortunately, I'm not able to do that. For the most part, code enf:ircement, especially of the "ugly ordinance" is a dismal failure. We've talked with Mr. Schroeder and other city officials, and are told that top priority is g'ven to complaints regarding conditions that threaten life and safety. This is most certainly approriate, and we're in full agreement with that policy. Building inspections are given second highest priority. Builders are paying higher fees now, and the city has agreed to provide prompt attention to their needs in exchange for the higher fees. We can understand the urgency any contractor would attach to his or her particular project needs. At the bottom of the priority list comes citizen complaints. At present, very little, if anything, is being done to address those very real concerns. we get different figures, but it seems that anywhere from five percent to twenty-five percent of the code enforcement officer's time is actually being spent on citizen complaints, and that time is allocated to the situations that are dangerous health and safety violations. This means that if a citizen calls to complain about piles of trash and debris, junked cars, or unkempt yards, nothing will be done. The city employs four building inspectors and one code enforcement officer. Unless we are building contractors, we are paying handsome salaries for services that are not available to the average taxpayer. Over two months ago, the Eastside Improvement Committee filed a stack of complaints with Mr. Schroeder. Raena Wright and I met with Mr. Schroeder on June 23 to ask for a follow-up on those complaints. We wanted to know which ones have been resolved, and which ones are still pending. Mr. Schroeder could not give us that information, which indicates that accurate records are not being kept, nor are our complaints -1- l0 being tracked. Mr. Schroeder did tel_ ui )' rat pr,)blems in Lodi. After reading about the sixta,�r. leat%ln in th«= Southwest that have been linked t�) a virus carried t•,} rodents, I read in the News-5entinal on Jung 16 that there arN unconfirmed reports of illnesses in Northern California that seam ti, be related to dust carrying remnants of infected rodentK' urine, Feces, or saliva. I'd like to stress that these are unconfirmed reports, but with an increasing rat population in Lodi, this is something that needs to he closely followed. There are so many breeding gr•)unds for rats and other vermin in Lodi, particularl on th- eastside. With vigorous code enforcement, these piles of trash, overflowing garbage bins, and other hazards coulA be eliminated. our community is poised to encourage new business to locate in Lodi. We need those Jobs. We also need to be able to show any prospective employer that our city is a clean, attractive place to live and to do business. When the recent visitors from our sister city in Japan visited Lodi, I wondered whether they would get to Carnegie Forum by Cherokee Lane, and down either East Pine Street or East Lodi Avenue, past the buildings with sheets and rags flopping out open windows, used tires discarded among the weeds in front yards, and garbage spilling out of trash cans that stay permanently at Curbside. I don't know which route the Japanese visitors took, but my guess would be they came into town from I -S or Westlane. In cooperation with Mr. Schroeder and his staff, beginning this month, Raena Wright, chairwc,man of our "Ugly Ordinance" team, will begin mailing out complaint letters to property owners to try to enlist a voluntary cleanup of rude violations. If there is no response to a polite request, she and her team will personally visit the site and note whether any changes have been made. If nothing has been done, a formal complaint will be filed with the city. This is where the process breaks down. The complaints sit for months and years at city hall, and no action is being taken. When offenders know a law is not being enforced, there is no incentive for them to comply, and the downward spiral toward slums continues. There are-ehte actions The Eastside Improvement Committee does urgently and respectfully request that you, the Lodi City Council implements 1. we ask you to make a firm commitment to neighborhood preservation and code enforcement in Lodi; 2. that you direct the City Manager to do 3 personnel study within thirty days to find mut why almost nothing is being -2- done in the way of co<ie _n f: rce:rv� n * ; 3. during the next c,,ntract negotiations with �r-atif,)rria Waste, we request that -,u includo A prIVISIot: E7r a yearly city-wide cleanup wiser, citixNns c•)•.ild pl.ac�� dir;carded furniture and other 3ebris at. curbside for pickup; 91-f' 4. $25,000 in block grant monies has been?aside for code enforcement. I believe those funds become available in July. Mr. Schroeder told us this was an effort t-) save a job. To date, we have no information on precisely how that money is to be spent. Since this money is designated E:ir low and middle income residents, we would like to know exactly how it is to be used. At present, there is no additional staffing in code enforcement, and obviously, that amount is not going to create another jcb. If it's being used to help pay the salary of someone who's already on the city payroll, we would like to know how this would directly benefit low and middle- income citizens. if this report sounds as if we're picking on Mr. Schroeder, that is not the case. He has been very forthcoming with information, and has made himself available when we wanted to meet with him. Throughout the city, there seems to be a general awakening to our problems. Neighborhood Watch groups on the eastside are beginning to take back their neighborhoods, and many residents are upgrading their property. Responsible citizens are willing to do their part, but we need the full cooperation and authority of city government behind our efforts. Please help us. -3- r Hunt for deadly rodent begins A new hot line offers information on mysterious virus The .lssociated Press sion," said Ur. Jamcv Hughcv. di- .4TLA.%TA — I:edcra! health m --tor of the agcacy's Center for investigators have found new evi- Infearous Diseases. "Notre of us dente that a deadl) mystery illness ever said the outbreak was o.cr." in the Southwest is a new type of The disease surfaced this spring rodent virus, and they have begun, among young. iralthy "it in lab tests to track down its sou.-;. •: rce the Southwest, mostly Nav ajov. Disease Colt :Some - I ' Centers 'for D died within hours. Not all have been �ii}s01a d fPrev ntl" r PAC t�0 cases on or near the Navajo Reservation, which cove- s Virus Causes the parts of Arizona, New Mexico and mens and to determine which to- Utah. dent carries it. The CDC had counted 25 cases The agency also opened a na- by Thursda> afternoon — i T in nonal hot line Thursday with in- New Mexico. frit in Arizona. two ft rrttation about the disease. in Colorado and one in latah. It "%%c are very contented about was investigating 13 deaths sus - the possible ongoing transmis- petted of being caused by the ill - rices — eight in New Mexico, four in Arizona and out to Colorado. Officials in New Mexico report- ed one additional case Thursday. and Utah bas repotted one death. CDC spokesman Bob Howard said late Thursday the agency had added one case and a degth to its to(d%_,bttl k4bW nq de Thr t�4 �}Eaitr tea I i !i o t utbrFait was thatt of a 2: -year-old Indian woraan in .4 %lexico who died WedbEs- day. More tests were added to confirm the infection, state ofii• cials said. the CDC's national hot line is 1-800-532-9929. M she illness il y r�►rikes again Tha Assoeirttt►d Prose SANTA FE, N.M. — Auer a nearly two-week reprieve in new caves of a mystery illness that has claimed 11 lives, health officials On Wednesday reported three new sus- pected uses. Researchers also said they had found more evidence that the flu- like illness might be caused by a vi - of nine found in rodent droppings. Six people tested have had anti- bodies to the Hantavirus view. said Dr. Norton Kalishman, chief medi- cal officer for the New Mexico Ilealth Npartment. Of IS confirmed cit." of the ill - nese since early Manch, seven in New Mexico and four in Arizona have been fatal. Most victims have been young, healthy Navajos. AridneaWs eases, if confirmed, would be the fust since May 'LS. when a 13 -year-old girl collapsed near Gallup and died the following day. 1t is not abating," Kalishman said of the disease. Some strains of Hantavirus have up to a 42 -day incubation pe- riod, meaning it can take that long for a person W develop symptoms of the disease after they are exposed. At least two of the new sus- pected cases will be treated with the experimental drug ribavirin, which has been effective in treating the strains of Hantavirus found in China, Kalishman said. He did not know how the third would be Ural, Pd. Kaiishman said he did not know the condition of the patients. lie said it would take weeks to deter- mine if they are suffering from the mystery ilirim-'s. "!here's nothing we can do other than to send the blood out for testa.- he said. One case reported Wednesday involved it 20 -year old woman from northwestern New klexim. Ob Pr at +�a3 ,e�••�c �• o BNM Cr 0. � �G w N =.�<-ate RS �•ys� y �r�'KSi�Iar rq. •mQw :�C �Pl. r•�^ Go °g .00 113 w �-..... w esIlk AA rr -- �r2 o sti oAls;e �.c-n Or N '� A h • ..i ax7.Ho39 ,cN0o g��� [[rT ., ad a^ ��• N30� ^�aatfl_�. N N Mystery illness in Worcal suspected The, Asamlated Press S&N . RAACISCO - Health of f! isle say there may he up lie five unounfirmed Northern California victims of the so-called mystery ill- ness that has caused up to 16 deaths in the Four Corners region of the Southwest. The state Department of Health reported that two of the possible victim were alive. fX the three vic- tims reported by the San Francisco D"rtment of Public Health. two had tied and one was missing. There are two possible cases of the illness but we have no confir- mation.' said' cott Lewis. a spoken man for the state health depart- mert. Lewis could not confirm the ages or genders of the possible victims, nor their location. I le did say both were ho+pitalized in Northern Cali- fornia and on ventilators Dr. Frances Taylor• director of the bureau of epidemio!oty and dis- e•asr control for the San Francisco Department of Public llcalth, said the two who died in April 'possibly fit the case definition' of the mys- tery illness. She said the third was less likely to have had the illness because the episode occurred last August- The Departmmt currently has no contact with that patient. Taylor did not know the age or gen- der of the three patient,. Taylor emphssi7ed that there was no immediate risk of any kind for residents of the San Francisco Hay area. "It happen^d awhile ago.' she said. "It i� not clear if the inftrtson happened in qen Fr+tn- cisco. Tree fact thin the ptntients .:ere imwed here doesn't mean we naN • thc: d scale- herr," she Fain. Two „i !11, c:v;vs <,,.re reported to the Department before the copes in Four Corners rnude• the news. Taylor said. -A physician read about the disease in the• press and said he thought ors of his patients might have fit the pattern," she said. The state was awaiting confir- mation hem the federal %enters for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for confirmation that the cases were in fact the mystery ill- ness, Lewis said. Taylor said authorities won! gathering information on the cases for the CDC and the investigation is inemnplete. However. she said, authorities are treasonably certain that two of the victims were not ex- posed in San Francisco. Taylor said the two victims were young, healthy individuals who got very sick and died two months ago. 'We were trying to put the: pieces together when the big up- roar occurred about Four Corners," she said. The CDC reported Tuesday it was investigating a pith death pos- sibly related to the iliness. There have bet. a 30 cases in total. Investigators believe the: flu-like illness, which appears to lead to re- spiratory failure, matt be ciusetl by a virus mrried by an unspm;fied rodent. It is believed to be trans- mitted when people breathe dust carrying remnants of the infected rodents' urine, feces or saliva, the CDC has said. SERVICE DEPARTMENT ., NOW OPEN SMRDAY s SAM—NOON MATAGA OLDSMOBILfE BUICK NO S. Beckman Rd. • Ledl • 333.5233 r =a�$s �a3nX� y,�no= a«ii O n C 1 j p r•" p O o� 5,r, �' O G?300' o2•�a Cr a+� 2 i. � =�::R� � _ !1 X' •�-SON ETr eQ) Lo. zto C o N Q T!s°er 'h a Fro.sa ��•� n ^'y v 2 JO �C C7 =14 3"c ?a3 y,sv;–, 'S. A S n N i Mystery illness in WorCal suspected The Associated Press SAA' .'"Ncisro — iteat'h of. ficials any them may be up to five ltnconfirmed Northern California victims of the w, -called mystery ill. ness that ha.+ cau-ed up to 16 deaths in the Four Corne.'rs region of the Southwest. The state Department of Ilealth reported that two of the possible victims were alive. Of the three vic- tims reported by the Son Francisco Department of Public Health, two had died and one was missing. Mere are two possible cases of the illness but we have no confir- mation," said Scots. Lewis, a spokes- man for the state health depart- ment. I ewis could no,t confirm the area or genders of the possibie victims, nor their location. Fir did may both were hospitalized in Northern Cali. forme and on ventiletor4. .)r. Frances Taylor, direeteir of the bureau of epidcmioloty and dis- ear«• control for the San Francisco Rept.-anent of IU)I;c Fic: lth, said the two who +lied in April "possibly fit the rase definition:" +.f tfte mys- tery illness. She said the third was less likely to have had the illness because the episcxle occurred last August. The Department currently has no contact with that patient. Taylor did not know the age or gen- der of the three patients. Taylor emphasi-ed that there was no immediate risk of any kind for residents of the San 'Francisco Flay area. "ft happened awhile ago." she said. "It is not clear if the infection happened in San Fran- cisco Tin: fact that the patients were treatc•i here doesml mean we have the d',eas+• here.' she said. Two or !h- uvea v.. -re reported to the Department before the canes in Four Corners trade the news. Taylor said. "A phy.ician read about the disease in the- press and said hp thought one of his patients might have fit the pattern." she said. The state was awaiting oonfir- mation from the federal Centers for Disease Control and "evention in Atlanta for confirmation that the cases were in fad the mystery ill - now Lewin said. Taylor said authorities were gathering information on the cases for the CDC and the investigation is incomplete. How+ver. she said, authorities are reasonably certain that two of the victims were not ex- posed in San Francisco. Taylor said the two victims were young, healthy individuals who got very sick and died two months ago. "We were trying to put the pieces together when Lhe big up - mar occurred aMut Four Carnes,` she said. The CDC reported Tuesday it was investigating a 1Gth death pos- sibly related to the illness. There have been 30 cases in total. Investigators believe the flu-like illness, which appears to lead to re- spiratory failure. may be caused by a virus carried by an unapcxified rodent It is believed to be trans- mitted when people breathe dust carrying remnants of the infected rodents' urine, feces or saliva, the CDC has said. SERVICE DEPARTMENT NOW *OPEN IMMAT a s ANI — Noon MATAGA OLDSMOBILE BUICK MOS. Becksm I ted. • tAdi - 33-1_2233