Receivership Property Survives California’s Deadliest Wildfire

In the 9 years prior to our appointment, local code enforcement tried to work with the owners of this motel to fix the 203 separate violations of state housing law onsite. There was a complete lack of maintenance of the property, demonstrated by the jet-black water in the swimming pool. The conditions at the motel were so severe that they actually sparked a fire. The fire caused considerable damage to a neighboring property, where it burned out and destroyed a business that had been operating at that location for over 35 years. This case is evidence of the significant danger that violations of municipal and state health and safety laws pose to the surrounding community.

Fire Hazard, Hoarding, Relocation Assistance, Defensible Space, Building ReuseMark AdamsNovember 12, 2020Commercial Property, Hotel or Motel, Apartment Building

From Neighborhood Cancer to Community Asset: Turning an Apartment Building Around

We took over this 14-unit apartment building after poor management rendered it unsafe for tenants to live in and it had become an attractive nuisance to local criminals. Municipal code enforcement found 84 violations of health and safety laws onsite, including broken stairs and doors, an exterior littered with graffiti and trash, inoperable plumbing, as well as apartments without working electricity. Despite the fact that vulnerable young children, as well as elderly tenants, lived inside the apartments, and even with multiple opportunities to fix the issues plaguing the property, the owner refused to cooperate. The lack of oversight of the apartment building did not go unnoticed; gang activity became prevalent, with heavy drug usage onsite.

Crime, Relocation Assistance, Illegal Drug Use, Structural Issues, Trespassing and VandalismMark AdamsJanuary 17, 2020Apartment Building