Sonoma County supervisors give code enforcement more leeway to settle cases

Sonoma County code enforcement officers will be granted more authority to settle a wider range of code violations by property owners, a move county officials hope will help ease a backlog of cases and limit the current strain on staff members and taxpayer funding.

The code enforcement division, whose ranks are consistently overwhelmed by the number of cases they must investigate and resolve, will now have authority to sign off on cases with value to the county of $50,000.

Prior to a change made Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors, division officials could only close cases with financial settlements of up to $7,500. That limit was outdated and problematic, code enforcement officials said.

“There aren’t many I can settle anymore, so this is a faster way of taking care of problems,” said Ben Neuman, a senior code enforcement manager. He said the change would motivate “the property owner to come into compliance.”

Fines for verified code violations - from dangerous housing conditions, to building without a permit, to hosting authorized events at wineries - can range from $100 per day, to $500 per day. Supervisors did not change those amounts Tuesday.

They also did not tinker with the way that code enforcement officials prioritize their oversight work. The current policy, formed 17 years ago, gives top ranking to health and safety problems such as gas leaks, electrical hazards and unsafe buildings.

Lower on the list are other substandard housing issues, such shoddy heating systems, unauthorized construction and clearance of vegetation along streambanks.

At the bottom of the list is work to follow up on neighborhood complaints, including those driven by the surge in winery events and unpermitted vacation rentals in the unincorporated county. Neuman said his division investigates such tourism-related complaints when time and staff are available.

“We need more staffing or a shift in priorities to make that a dedicated issue,” Neuman said. The division’s parent agency, the Permit and Resource Management Department, has 108 staff members, down 35 percent from the 2006 staffing peak before the recession. The addition of two inspectors recently brought the total number of officers in the code enforcement division up to eight employees.

Five of those officers each carry a load of up to 600 cases, with 500 additional cases split between three managers, the county reported. Each year, about 900 new complaints come in the county. About little less than two thirds are confirmed as official violations, officials said. The total backlog is pegged at 3,500 violations. Most are cleared in two or three years, while some cases can last 10 to 15 years.

Chairwoman Susan Gorin said the county’s enforcement process needed to be fast-tracked.

“It’s appalling to me, how long it takes from a first complaint … to abatement,” she said of the toughest cases.

Neuman said with the greater authority granted by the Board of Supervisors, he will be able to settle more cases out of court - easing strain on staffing and the division’s budget.

Supervisor Efren Carrillo said Tuesday’s action was pressing, pointing out that he sees complaints come in to his office on a daily basis.

“One of the things we hear often, for vacation rentals, is ‘What are we doing on enforcement for our existing ordinance,’” Carrillo said.

Carrillo asked county staff members for specific data on the origin and distribution of violations.

Supervisor James Gore, who represents the north county where most of the complaints about unlawful winery events are occurring, was not present Tuesday.

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemo?crat.com. On Twitter @ahartreports.