The Posting

Riverside County Code Enforcement
May 2008
Volume 2, Issue 5
The Posting
A TLMA Code Enforcement Monthly Newsletter
I
Director Jay E. Orr
Homeland, Romoland, Green Acres Cleanup
n March, Code Enforcement
held a community cleanup for
the Homeland, Romoland, and
Green Acres communities. The
goal of the community cleanup
was to provide the residents the
opportunity to enhance the
appearance of the community and
get involved. The event was held
at the Romoland Elementary
School. The Romoland Unified
School District continues to
support and play a vital role in
improving the quality of life for
their students, parents, and the
surrounding communities.
The Harvest Valley Community
Council has been a continuous
sponsor of this event each year.
The Council has done a
tremendous job in providing
numerous volunteers,
refreshments, getting the word
out to the community, collecting
tires throughout the community,
assisting seniors and the disabled,
keeping Highway 74 free and
clear of debris, and making
sure that the overall event
becomes a success. Many thanks
to the Harvest Valley Community
Council, local businesses,
community leaders, and
volunteers. A total of 216
vehicles were served for a
total of 98.81 tons of trash
and tires collected.
Chaka Osborne (5)
What’s Inside:
Walking Home
2
Shelter Drive
2
Mesa Verde
2
Amendment
Expedites Abatement
3
Weekend Enforcement 3
Compliance in 3 Hours 3
Looking Good
4
Working with
Property Owner
4
The Double Deuce
5
Thank You
5
Many hands make light work
What the Community is Saying…
“I appreciate the cleanup & increasing higher standards” -Henry Mussenden
“Very helpful, we appreciate it! An opportunity to get rid of some tires.” -Mike Allison
“It’s time people cleanup the trash; we cannot even ride our horses without risk. Thank you Department of
Code Enforcement” -Jim & Kim Kresin
“My family and I have lived here for six years and we spend a lot of our weekends picking up trash around
the Juniper Flats area in Homeland. This is really cool that your Department is doing this.”
-Micah Moore
A Special Thank You To:
County of Riverside Supervisor Marion Ashley’s Office & Staff • County Waste Management
Department – Lambs Canyon Landfill • Waste Management, Inc. - Julie Reyes & all drivers • WRCOG for
providing cleanup supplies • TMG Communications • Hamshaw Farms • ACE/AHERN • Homeland Donut •
Volunteers Kathy Woods, Alec Glaha, Garrick Stein, Lee Tankesley, G. Hoffarth, Mary Plum, Phil Michelsen,
Bob Dulce, Ieene Harris, Margarete Hinckley, Bannie Hoffarth, and Yvonne Mendoza
Page 2
The Posting
Volume 2, Issue 5
Walking Home
Vendor’s vehicle
being towed
The Postingnow available
in Spanish
Officer Molina drove up and made
contact with the subjects,
identifying himself as an Officer
with Code Enforcement, and
asked for identification. It turned
out that no one, including the
driver of the van, had any ID or a
valid driver’s license. It seems
the driver of the van would drop
guys off at different locations in
the area and help them set up
their illegal produce vending
stands.
I
t was a beautiful Spring
afternoon in District 1, up
around Horsethief Canyon, an
area that Officer Mano Molina
calls his beat. While on OHV
patrol and doing some active case
follow-up, he spied a suspicious
van driving around the area. As
he began surveillance on the
vehicle, he witnessed the driver
and a passenger exiting the van.
They began setting up produce to
be sold at a location used
commonly by illegal vendors.
Officer Molina realized that it was
a misdemeanor violation of the
California Vehicle Code to operate
a motor vehicle without a license
and detained the individuals. He
contacted the Riverside Sheriff’s
Office and they dispatched a unit
to his location.
Once the deputy arrived and
found the situation to be under
control, he asked Officer Molina
what he would like to do with the
individuals and their property.
Officer Molina told him that the
property would be removed by
Riverside County Environmental
Health Department and that they
were en-route. He told the
deputy that he hoped the
unlicensed driver could be cited
for his violation. The deputy told
him that since he didn’t witness
the person actually driving the
van, it would be necessary for
Officer Molina to make the arrest.
With the assistance of RSO,
Officer Mano Molina placed the
subject under “citizen’s arrest”
and after the order of arrest was
presented to Mr. Hernandez, his
vehicle was towed and stored by
the Sheriff’s Department.
This action by Officer Mano Molina
sends a strong message to those
folks who choose to ignore the
law. If you choose not to play by
the rules, you may be walking
home!
Greg Flannery(1)
Shelter Drive
I
n mid February, I went to a
property located on Shelter
Drive in Thousand Palms and
found it to be an eyesore to the
residents in the neighborhood. I
issued a Notice for Accumulated
Rubbish and took pictures of the
area. By the time the notices
arrived in the mail the owner had
already complied by cleaning the
entire property. He went even
further than what was asked of
him by trimming the tamarisk
trees that encircle his and the
neighbor’s property.
Before
Special thanks to the property
owner for going the extra step to
improve the street he lives on and
for extending his pride of
ownership to his neighbors.
Lorena Diaz (4)
Before
After
Many violations were removed
After
Property owner cleaned up and cut the trees
Mesa Verde
T
his property is located on a
corner lot in Mesa Verde. The
site is noticeable because the street
is a main roadway. The property
has had numerous code violations
over the years. The violations varied
from rubbish, inoperative vehicles,
and stored substandard trailers.
During my initial investigation, the
resident and property owner were
contacted. The corrective process
was explained, as well as our Junk
Your Clunker program. We obtained
voluntary compliance within a 60day period.
George Gianos (4)
The Posting
Volume 2, Issue 5
Page 3
Amendment Expedites Abatement
T
he Riverside County Board of
Supervisors recently
amended the ordinance (Ord.
541.5) that regulates the removal
of rubbish including green waste.
This ordinance was amended to
protect the health and welfare of
residents from possible fire
hazards, by expediting the
process in which flammable
material can be removed from
vacant parcels.
Rubbish is defined as, but is not
limited to, any items consisting of
trash, litter, garbage, waste, junk,
debris, discarded items, refuse,
construction, landscape or
demolition materials, cans,
bottles, barrels, bricks, boxes,
crates, cartons, containers,
packaging, wood, plastics, metal,
visqueen, paper, cardboard,
appliances, vehicle parts, tires,
discarded mattresses, equipment,
furniture, carcass of a dead
animal, ordinary household
garbage, discards, green waste,
or other dangerous, nauseous or
offensive material of any kind.
Although Notices of Violation are
still necessary and required, the
time frames have been
significantly reduced to gain
compliance. This ordinance will
allow County officials the ability to
move quickly and abate these
violations.
I
Large scale illegal vending
Two communities that will be
positively affected by this change
are Pine Cove and Idyllwild.
These mountain communities
have recent drought conditions
that have resulted in tight water
conservation and a high fire
concern.
The Code Enforcement
Department for the Idyllwild /
Pine Cove areas can be reached
by telephone at 951-791-3600 or
fax to 951-791-3606. Complaints
can also be filed through the
Internet or general information
can be found at www.rctlma.org.
Michael Sanders (3)
Weekend Enforcement
n mid March, Officers in the 3rd
District started working
weekends. We have focused our
enforcement activity in the Wine
Country and the Aguanga area
and have expanded beyond the
normal weekend parking
enforcement. We are handling
regular casework along with high
visibility patrol. It’s amazing how
many people are surprised and
glad to see us in their
neighborhoods during the
weekends. “Glad to see you and
you are welcome to come on my
property any time,” said Dorian
Linkogle from the Briar Rose
Winery.
It has become apparent that
many violators were taking
advantage of the lack of weekend
coverage. To date, we have
observed several businesses
operating outside their conditions
of approval and conducting
business in an unsafe manner. In
one situation, I observed several
patrons of a winery scramble to
their vehicles, which were parked
in a fire lane, as I drove onto the
property. We have also become a
force multiplier for the Special
Enforcement Team in that my
officers have observed everything
from illegal dumping to illegal
vending.
Mark Slocum (3)
Officer caught suspects in the midst
of dumping a mobile home
Compliance in 3 Hours
O
n an April afternoon,
Supervisor Ken King and I
arrived at a property in Rubidoux.
There was over 800 cubic feet of
accumulated rubbish sitting
outside the front gate. We made
contact with the tenant and we
were able to get voluntary
compliance in three hours. The
house was in foreclosure and the
tenants needed to vacate the
house by the next week.
We were able to offer the tenant
an application for the CDBG funds
and supply them with a roll off
dumpster. Angelica Olivo,
Community Improvement
Specialist, arrived and assisted the
tenants with completing an
application. Supervisor Joe
Quinones from Burrtec was
driving by the property at the time
and arranged for a dumpster to
be delivered within 20 minutes.
Neighbors and friends came out
to help the tenant load all the
trash into the dumpsters. The
removal of approximately 3.5 tons
of trash that consisted of
furniture, crates, car seats,
household trash, and other
miscellaneous items was
removed in three hours.
Before
Although it does not always
happen, it was nice to see
everyone come together and
make a positive impact in the
community in such a short time.
Gladys Sanchez (2)
After
About 3.5 tons removed
Page 4
The Posting
H
ere are many ideas that you can do to help
improve the quality, health and safety on your
property and in your neighborhoods:
Volume 2, Issue 5
•Fill up your trash cans every
week to eliminate the
accumulation of rubbish.
•Know where the legal parking
areas are for your commercial
vehicles.
•Mow and maintain the
landscaping on your property.
•Limit your garage sales to 3 per
year.
•Help a Senior Citizen in your
neighborhood clean their property
or maintain their landscaping.
•Obtain building permits for
construction projects prior to
beginning the project.
•Attend your local Community
meetings.
•Volunteer at the Community
Clean-Up!
•Keep your vehicles in running
condition and do not park your
cars in the front yard.
•Do not occupy your RV, Trailer or
camper; keep it in a stored
capacity.
Tracey Towner (5)
Looking Good in Sky Valley
I
Before
n January, we were advised by
Cal-Fire that a substantial
structure fire had occurred near
the corner of 18th Street and
Bennett Road in Sky Valley.
The house had been a second
unit and was almost completely
destroyed, leaving a dangerous
and unsightly substandard
structure exposed to all the
neighbors traveling those streets.
After
O
After
An amazing change on this property
Jackie Fogh (4)
Working With the Property Owner
This safety hazard is gone
Before
We posted the dwelling as
substandard and began the
abatement process immediately.
Within a week, the owners had
contacted us regarding the site.
We worked with them and by
April 8, 2008, it had been
removed.
fficer Lyon had made
contact with the property
owner, who resides out of state,
regarding clean-up of
accumulated rubbish and
excessive outside storage on this
property. At follow-up, she
observed that there wasn’t any
attempt to get the property into
compliance. The case was
prepared for Administrative
Abatement proceedings in front of
the Board of Supervisors. During
this time, Officer Lyon received a
phone call and was informed that
there was a new property owner,
who assured her that the property
would be clean within two weeks.
Officer Lyon conducted a followup two weeks after the call and
found that all the rubbish and
outside storage was removed and
the trees and bushes had been
trimmed. A big thank you to the
new property owner for a job well
done.
Regina Keyes (5)
Did You Know?
●
Inoperable or non-running vehicles must be stored inside of a completely enclosed, permitted building such as a garage.
•
The number of farm animals such as horses, cows, sheep, or goats that you can keep on your property depends on the
zoning and the size of your property.
●
You must obtain approval from the Planning Department before you begin any business or commercial use on your property.
James Monroe
The Posting
Volume 2, Issue 5
Page 5
The Double Deuce
A
cting upon a complaint, Code
Enforcement Tech Trish
Silva, contacted the Riverside
County Natural Resources
Manager Brian Shomo, about a
reported abandoned vehicle that
was seen in a very remote area
within District 1.
Due to the extremely remote
area, Code Tech Silva felt that it
would be best to do some
research regarding the potential
of the area being in a sensitive
ecological cell location before she
just tromped all over the area
with a tow truck to remove the
old car. After nearly a 1 hour 4X4
trek into the back woods, the
vehicle was located and identified
as an abandoned, burned out,
rusted piece of junk. There was
no means of identification
I
anywhere on the hunk of metal
that was once a car. Trish took
photos and left the location to
contact Statewide Towing.
Based upon the location of the
abandoned vehicle, it was
determined that an Army 6X6
Truck (a real all wheel drive ride)
would be the only way to reach
and remove the clunker. After
receiving approval for the use of
the special Army Truck, called a
Double Deuce, Code Tech Silva,
recruited Code Enforcement
Officer III Sara Cervantes to assist
in leading the assault on the
rusted hull they sought on their
mission.
The Double Deuce followed the
Code Enforcement vehicle up into
the remote location, with all
wheels screaming and the black
This rusted vehicle was removed by the Double Deuce
diesel smoke marking the route.
Some wildlife and poisonous
snakes were encountered on the
way, with no resulting casualties
reported. Once they arrived at
the location of the abandoned
vehicle, the Double Deuce hooked
up to the shell, and with a blast of
the air horn and a shout from the
driver “Let’s Roll”, off they went
for their last leg of the journey.
The Officers were focused and
Statewide Towing was determined
to yank that junk off the
mountain. Though it was a bit
out of the ordinary, and took a
little more planning than usual,
the problem was solved.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Greg Flannery (1)
Thank You 10,000+ Tons
n March, Riverside County
Board of Supervisors
recognized County Departments
and Private Industries for their
hard work and efforts in the
removal of over 10,000 tons of
trash in Riverside County in 2007.
This is equivalent to over 5 miles
of dumpsters. That amount
would line the highway from
downtown Riverside to San
Bernardino County.
Riverside County Code
Enforcement started the cleanup
campaign in 2006. It is a
collaborative effort between
County departments and private
agencies.
At the March 25th Board Meeting,
Master of Ceremonies, Supervisor
Marion Ashley, Supervisor John
Tavaglione, and Code
Enforcement Director Jay Orr
presented the Recognition Awards
to Department Heads and
Independent Business Owners.
Certificates of Appreciation were
also given to 227 staff members
from those agencies.
Congratulations and thank you
to everyone who participated in
making 2007 a very successful
year! Thank you also to T.O.M.,
the trashcan mascot, who made
a surprise appearance.
Becky Mitchell
Transportation Department Crew
Jaime Hurtado, Legislative Assistant
to Supervisor Marion Ashley, with
T.O.M., the trashcan mascot
The departments and businesses that received awards:
•Burrtec - Mark Bartholomew, Division Director •Burrtec of the Desert - Mike Veto, Director of Municipal Services
•CR&R Waste Industries - Ed Campos, Vice President/General Manager •Department of Code Enforcement - Jay Orr, Director
•Department of Environmental Health - Gary Root, Director •Transportation Department - George A. Johnson, Director
•Department of Waste Mgmt - Hans Kernkamp, General Manager •Desert Valley Disposal - Rick Wade, General Manager
•Flood Control - Warren “Dusty” Williams •Interstate Sweeping - Glen Drew, Owner/General Manager
•Rubidoux Community Services District - David Lopez, Manager •Crowson Management - Glenn Crowson, General Manager
•Waste Management, Inc. - Alex Braichovich, Director of Government Affairs
•Western Regional Council of Goverment - Barbara Spoonhour, Program Manager
Riverside County Code Enforcement
Illegal Operation
Fighting roosters
Illegal food vending
One morning in March, Officers
from the Special Enforcement
Team, in conjunction with the
Inland Valley Task Force,
conducted an illegal fiesta sweep.
This Task Force includes the
Riverside County Sheriff's
Department Jurupa Valley Station
Community Action Team, San
Bernardino County Sheriff's
Department, Ontario Police
Department, California
Department of Agriculture, Milk &
Dairy Branch, Brands Branch,
California Board of Equalization,
Riverside County Environmental
Health Illegal Food Program,
Riverside County Code
Enforcement and their Special
Enforcement Team, Riverside
County Animal Services, Riverside
County District Attorney's Office,
The Recording Industry
Association of America, and The
Motion Picture Association of
America.
Upon arrival, they found an illegal
cockfighting operation in
progress. As Officers entered the
location, two roosters were left on
the ground fighting as
approximately 20 subjects ran
from deputies. All were caught
and returned to the scene.
Deputies from the Riverside
County Sheriff’s Department
arrested four individuals for two
separate felony charges each, and
one misdemeanor charge each.
An additional ten individuals were
cited and released. SET Officer K.
Nguyen cited four subjects for
misdemeanor land use violations.
$2,108.00 in U.S. Currency was
seized as evidence. Riverside
County Animal Services seized
thirty-five fighting roosters.
Twenty-eight rooster carcasses
were found in the trash just
outside the fighting arena. One
dead rooster was found on the
ground next to the fighting arena.
After the operation, SET officers
patrolled with members of the
Environmental Health Illegal Food
Program. They contacted and
cited several illegal food vendors.
One of the vendors was seen by
SET officers operating a van
loaded with unsafe produce.
RSO was advised and responded.
The driver was cited for driving
without a license and all the
produce was seized by
Environmental Health.
Marr Christian (SET)
“Let everyone sweep in front of his own door,
and the whole world will be clean.”
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
We welcome you to visit our website at
www.rctlma.org/ce where you can:
May Calendar
3rd
Quail Valley Cleanup
Mecca Cleanup
10th
Mead Valley Cleanup
17th
Meadowbrook/Goodhope
Cleanup
Jurupa Valley Cleanup
31st
Thousand Palms/Tri-Palm
Cleanup
Highgrove Days
•
•
•
•
View The Posting
Download Code Enforcement flyers & brochures
Report a violation
Tell us how we’re doing…we’d love to hear from you!
Code Enforcement
District Office Numbers
District 1 (951) 245-3186
District 2 (951) 275-8739
District 3 (951) 600-6140
District 4 (760) 863-7180
District 5 (951) 485-5840
CODE ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION
4080 Lemon Street, 12th Floor
Riverside, CA 92502
Phone: 951-955-2004
Fax: 951-955-8680
Editor’s Corner
Grace Escobar
Contact Information:
(951) 955-1895
GESCOBAR@rctlma.org