Title
Consider Directing Staff to Create an Autonomous Code Enforcement Division to Enforce All Building Code and Health and Safety Laws. (Councilmember Vella)
Body
COUNCIL REFERRAL FORM
The Council can take any of the following actions:
1) Take no action.
2) Refer the matter to staff to schedule as a future City Council agenda item.
3) Take dispositive action if sufficiently noticed such that the public and Council have been provided sufficient information by the published agenda, and no formal published notice of a public hearing is required.
Name of Councilmember requesting referral: Malia Vella
Date of submission to City Clerk (must be submitted before 5:00 p.m. on the Monday two weeks before the Council meeting requested):
Council Meeting date: 11/19/19
Brief description of the subject to be printed on the agenda, sufficient to inform the City Council and public of the nature of the referral:
Direct staff to create an autonomous code enforcement division to enforce all building code, and health and safety laws. Additionally direct staff to enforce building codes for all projects, including commercial and mixed use projects. Recently, code enforcement informed our city manager that they were adhering to an old council policy from several years ago that instructed them to be more relaxed on code enforcement for commercial projects. This has resulted in numerous code violations being routinely overlooked which has negatively impacted the quality of life and safety of residents in mixed use areas, undermined the city's ability to ensure safe construction on commercial projects, and has threatened the health and safety of Alamedans. Currently code enforcement is housed in Planning & Building and the code enforcement officers have limited their work to enforcement of the building code. There have been a number of health and safety complaints, including noise, smoking, and after hours construction, that have therefore gone un-enforced which has negative...
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