Amen

I just saw this comment on the SeminoleHeightsBlog:

My first position after law school was as an assistant state’s attorney where my entire training revolved around criminal law enforcement. When I left the State’s Attorney’s office, I began prosecuting municipal ordinances which included building codes. At first I just saw them as minor cases to process but after awhile I began to see the connection between enforcing building codes and keeping crime rates low, especially in apartment complexes. Fixing lights in a parking lot reduced drug dealing on a premises better than a team of police officers. Forcing landlords to spend money on repairs made them more motivated to crack down on tenants who were trashing a building. Over the years I’ve noticed a strong correlation between vigorous code enforcement and a reduction in police calls. Just getting junk vehicles towed from a parking lot makes the tenants happier with their surroundings. Unfortunately, sometimes those in leadership in law enforcement fail to see the connection and are reluctant to spend resources assisting building code departments. This is shortsighted. The code enforcement department can be a great resource for the police department and vice versa. Police personnel get into residences all of the time on police calls and can be the eyes of the code department. Code enforcement inspectors who are properly trained may see things inside a building that may be beneficial for the police department. The local jurisdictions that recognize this relationship are the ones most successful in reducing crime in a neighborhood. Now there is even scientific evidence for the “broken windows” theory, conducted by a university in the Netherlands. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27825380/from/ET/#story  Continued Blighted conditions have an effect on the behavior of the people in those communities. Code enforcement is an integral component of any effort to control and contain crime.

Somebody should tell Jake Slater.

Mirabile Dictu

Carolyn here.

In September I was getting ready to leave for work about 8 AM on a Saturday when I noticed several cars parking in front of 6003. About eight youngish men got out, about half wearing similar T shirts. There was a middle aged man who seemed to be in charge, so I walked up to him and asked what was going on. He told me they all belonged to a volunteer group and that they were going to haul all the multitudinous piles of trash out of the yard at 6003 and mow the lawn. I told him I would be home by 1:30 PM and was looking forward to seeing the progress. He laughed and said they would be done by noon.

When I came home there was a ten foot long pile of trash by the street and the lawn had been mowed. I expected to be looking at that pile for months but was delighted when the city truck came by and picked the entire thing up!

A few days later I managed to get James by himself. I told him he either used my pressure washer to clean the green and black scum off his house and shed or I would do it without his permission. I figured trespass to pressure wash would not land me in jail. He said he would. I next told him that I wanted him to pick two colors for his house and a neighbor would come over on Sunday and paint his house. I told him I was buying the paint and that I did not want his house (his excuse when we had tried to buy him paint before). He agreed! I had paint samples which I promptly took over to him. He picked gray for the house with white trim. True to his word, he cleaned the house the next day. I bought the paint for about $300.00 and our neighbor Brian painted the house the next Sunday. Steve and Kate, my neighbors on the corner, insisted in paying for half the paint. I gave that to Brian who had given up his one day with his kids to remove that eyesore for me.

Before and after:

The next week James began to trim out the house and shed. He still had the filthy, once-white, interior door with the large hole in it facing the street. I told him to get in his truck and we went out to Habitat and I bought him a metal exterior door. He hung it when we got back. He wanted to paint the door white and I told him not to use something like a burgundy. Was willing to go buy paint but he found some in his tool shed.

I have been over in his yard several times to spray weeds and pick up beer bottles and cigarette packs. He has mowed the front and the back twice. The south section is past my knees but I am ignoring it.

He has not finished painting the trim on the north or east windows and has made no repairs. The fence continues to lean and yaw. He props it up with miscellaneous pieces of wood and rock.

There are only three dogs now-one of them a pit-bull. They are keeping him contained.

I don't know what produced this change of heart but I will enjoy it while it lasts.  For sure, no thanks to Code NonEnforcement.

Respite

John here.

Saturday a group of volunteers(?) showed up and accomplished in a couple of hours what Jake Slater has been (certainly) unwilling and (probably) unable to require in five years:

The toilet and tire are moved to the curb, as are the various piles of trash.  They also mowed the lawn.  If one overlooks the spreading green mold and the flaking paint, 6003 looks almost decent. 

Time will tell whether this has abated  the trash problem or merely moved it out to the street.

Perhaps to remind us what we're dealing with here, Jessica noticed Kate at 6001 painting some furniture in her carport and unleashed a string of F-words at her.  We can report that Jessica is positively inept, compared to her predecessor Judy, whose F-word farragos were audible for blocks.  The range of Jessica's aural assault is measured in mere yards and her compositional range does not extend past the word itself.  Doubtless we'll see whether she can improve with practice.

Aside from the (lack of) paint and the surplus of auditory stimuli, the remaining concerns at 6003 look to center upon the six dogs (in violation of the zoning (see definition of "kennel")), two of whom appear to be pit bulls.  Stay tuned. . .

Further Petition to Governor Scott

Your Excellency:

In my Petition of September 11, 2011, I asked you to suspend from office the Tampa Director of Code Enforcement, Jake Slater.  I showed that his failure to perform his duties surely amounts to neglect of duty and I further mentioned that informal information from his subordinates implies that his failure to act is deliberate and, thus, misfeasance and malfeasance.

I now have an email from Mr. Slater admitting that, despite a five-year history of Code violations at 6003 N. Otis that include some seventeen instances of accumulations of trash and garbage, he is refusing to enforce the requirements as to accumulations, albeit the owner of the property now has created new piles of trash and has the ability to remove that trash.  In short, Mr. Slater has admitted that he is deliberately not performing his duties.  That is, he admits to misfeasance and malfeasance.

I renew my request that you suspend Mr. Slater.

Carolyn A. Butcher
6005 N. Otis Ave.
Tampa, Florida

The Smoking Email

John here.

Carolyn obtained some help regarding the sewage on the ground at 6003 from Bernadine King in Commissioner Miller's office.   In the face of the ongoing refusal of the Code nonEnforcement to do its job, she turned again to Ms. King.  The ever helpful Ms. King provoked Jake Slater of Code to admit what long has been obvious: He's refusing to do his job.

From: Jake Slater [mailto:Jake.Slater@ci.tampa.fl.us]
Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 12:57 PM
To: King, Bernadine
Subject: Follow Up on Code Enforcement Issue

 Good Morning Ms. King:

 Chief of Staff, Santiago Corrada, wanted me to follow up with you on the e-mail sent to the attention of Commissioner Miller, concerning the Code Enforcement issue at 6003 N Otis Ave.

The City of Tampa Department of Code Enforcement and other Departments in the City have been working with the property owner to come into compliance with various property maintenance issues. Code Enforcement in the City handles over 28,000 cases per calender year and works diligently with  property owners to allow adequate time to correct the situation before proceeding with punitive enforcement action.

This particular situation on N Otis Ave presents the situation of the home owner not have the resources or physical abilities to move quickly in correcting the problems.

Code Enforcement arranged to have the plumbing problems fixed and have coordinated with  a volunteer organization to work on repairing and cleaning this property on September 24th. Hopefully this event will be successful in complying those pending violations and providing a valuable service in improving the overall conditions of this neighborhood.

I'll be more than happy to answer any questions that Commissioner Miller may have on the history of Code Enforcement involvement at this property.

Regards:

Jake Slater
Director Code Enforcement
Business Tax/Community Affairs
102 E. 7th Ave,Tampa 33602
Office #- (813)-274-8380
Cell #- (813)-690-4039

So, at last we have the admission: Despite a history of violations that runs back over five years, Code nonEnforcement is unwilling to compel the owner, James Alverson, to obey the laws they enforce against the citizens who actually pay their taxes.  This raises several interesting questions:

•  Alverson has the "resources and physical abilities" to create piles of trash (that include a toilet, a tire, and open containers to breed mosquitoes); why then is he not to be required to get rid of that same trash?

(click to expand)

• Why is Code so feckless that Alverson continues to pile up trash, despite being first warned for the violation on March 30, 2009 and written up for the same violation sixteen times since then?
• Code nonEnforcement first cited the paint on Alverson's eyesore on March 22, 2006.  Alverson several times refused offers from the neighbors to help paint the structure.  Why must the neighbors still look at this, over five years later:

• Does Slater's ongoing refusal to do his job as to Alverson, while continuing to enforce the Building Code against other citizens, deprive my Sister Carolyn of her right to equal protection of the laws?
• How does a lack of "resources or physical abilities to move quickly" excuse a history of violations that extends over five years? 
• Why does Tampa take tax money from my Sister and other law-abiding citizens and use it to pay the salary of Jake Slater who is refusing to do his job?

Code "Enforcement" = Nuisance Preservation

John here.

Code nonEnforcement first wrote Alverson for "Accumulations" (of trash) on March 30, 2009, 894 days ago.  More recently they wrote him (the fifteenth time) on July 5, 67 days ago.  On July 26, they marked the "Accumulations" "complied;" the same day they sent him a 2d Notice (sixteenth writing) for the "Accumulations."  (Your tax dollars at "work.")  On August 15th they sent yet another 2d Notice (no. seventeen).

Today, we still have those "Accumulations."

 (The toilet and tire are particularly attractive.  As are the open containers that are breeding mosquitos.)

Then we have some new ones.

Code first wrote Alverson for "Soundness" (in this case, paint and minor structural repairs) on September 22, 2009, 718 days ago.  More recently they wrote him (for the seventh time) on July 5 and sent 2d Notices on July 26 (number eight) and August 15 (nine).  As of yesterday, the "Action File Recap" at the City's kiosk showed that they extended the deadline to "have time to get this homeowner into the diversionary program."  There is no notation as to why they did not do this two years ago.  For sure, the place remains an eyesore.

We recall in passing that Code wrote Alverson this year for raw sewage on the ground on Feb 16 and April 18.  They did not bother to write the July sewage incident that brought out the Environmental Protection Commission, which got the sewage cleaned up and the plumbing fixed in less than a week.  That effective behavior poses a nice contrast to Code nonEnforcement which has spent over two years preserving the nuisance at 6003.

Here is the pivot table by violation from my summary of the Action File Recap that goes back to March 22, 2006:

And the feckless fools at Code nonEnforcement have the nerve to tell Carolyn she will have to be "patient."

So Steve and Katie at 6001 and Carolyn at 6005 and their neighbors, who pay their taxes, must be "patient" and suffer this assault upon their health and property values while the City protects Alverson, who pays neither taxes nor water bills.  Meanwhile, the City thumps its chest about "Green Tampa (pdf)."

Tampa Is Sustaining the Nuisance

John here.

As we have pointed out, at length, Tampa has failed to abate the nuisance at 6003 N. Otis. Indeed, Code nonEnforcement refuses to abate the nuisance.

As a further outrage, Tampa and the County are enabling the nuisance: Alverson is delinquent on the 2009 property taxes: $725.11. He is delinquent on the 2010 property taxes: $732.93.

They shut off the water for failure to pay the bill: $504.45.

Then the tenant/visitor/who-knows-what, Jessica, paid to have it reconnected. She now has failed to pay for two months.

These folks manage to pay for cell phones, cigarettes, FIOS, five dogs, and a ferret. Tampa lets its taxpayers pay for the property taxes and water bills. The result is a menace to the health and property values of the neighborhood.

What a deal.

Mendacity and Pusillanimity and Nonfeasance

John here.

As I noted earlier, having a TV camera at the site on Friday brought out Larry Canalejo, an Area Supervisor for Code nonEnforcement. During the conversation, Carolyn obtained some clarification of the "it's not a violation if we can't see it from the street" tale she kept hearing from Code: It seems that what they really mean to say is that they can't go on the property without the owner's permission.

There are at least four problems with this.

First, notwithstanding what Larry said, their Web page draws an "out of sight" distinction, which makes one think maybe they don't cite if the trash is not visible:

What are accumulations and what is open storage?

Things that most people would not normally use to decorate their yards are usually accumulations. Things such as lawn mowers, concrete blocks, lumber, and buckets for example should be stored away in a storage building or garage. At the very least, they may not be visible from the street and should be behind a fence or wall. This includes storage of garbage cans except on pickup day. [19-49]

That "19-49" is a cite to the Tampa Code Sec. 19-49, which provides that "any" accumulation of debris, rubbish, trash, garbage, refuse, garden trash, snipe signs, or junk is a public nuisance. There's nothing in there about "out of sight" or "visible from the road." So their Web page draws a distinction that is not in the law and Larry seems to say the Web page doesn't really mean it. For sure the Web page is wrong; we don't yet know about Larry.

Second, "it's not a violation if you can't see it" is not at all the same thing as "we can't go there w/o permission." So, if Larry is right, the Code people who have been saying the former are either ignorant or mendacious, neither of which is a recommendation for continued employment.

Third, Code marked the "accumulation" notices for 6003 "complied" on July 26 while the tire, toilet, open containers, and fence parts still were lying about:


Either they did that without looking, i.e., they filed a false report, or they did it after looking, i.e., they lied.

Fourth, they all have multiple invitations from Steve at 6001 and Carolyn at 6005 to view 6003. There is a public street in front of 6003 and a sewer right of way in back. Thus, Code can look at 6003 from any side.

Moreover, even in light of Sec. 5-104.6.1, which instructs the inspector to request entry to the premises if they are occupied, Sec. 5-104.6 of the Tampa Code of Ordinances further provides:

5-104.6.2.1. Immunity. The building official shall have the right of entry upon real property and shall be immune from civil or criminal prosecution for trespass upon real property while in the discharge of his duties of enforcing the provisions of this chapter. The same immunity shall inure to his authorized agents, assistants, employees and contractors employed on behalf of the city in connection with such enforcement.

That is, they can go in there if they need to! This is simply the codification of the common law principle that a public officer may enter property to abate a nuisance without being liable for trespass.

So, they can inspect the entire perimeter of 6003. If need be, they can enter w/o Alverson's permission. And of course they always can get a warrant.

Then why, pray, do they hide behind this shifting litany of excuses? We only can hope that they are beginning to be embarrassed by their years long, ongoing failure to do their jobs.

Code is Part of the Problem

Here is Carolyn's account of the TV interview:

Jeff Butera from ABC Action News arrived about 10:30 AM. We talked for a while. Then he put me in the direct sun for 20 minutes or so and we talked about the situation next door. By the time I was finished I was soaked with sweat. Jeff told me that some of the top code officials were going to meet him at 6003 and he thought I should be here.

Code guys showed up a little after 1 PM. One of the gentlemen, I think his name is Tom, is acting deputy mayor currently in charge of code. The other was Larry Canalejo, Area Supervisor for code. "Tom" had printed off several pages from the blog and one had a picture of the raw sewage in the back off 6003. When I showed him the nice clean dirt, he heaved a sigh of relief and told me he was relieved that it had been cleaned up. I asked him how he thought I felt living with that for a year. He commiserated.

Larry was interviewed by Jeff while "Tom" and I stood in the shade. When I asked why "accumulations" was marked as complied in the last code visit, he said he was new and would get with Larry on the way back to the office and get up to speed. Later I asked Larry the same thing and he said these things take time. It is very difficult to deal with someone like James who is so poor. I kept my mouth shut but it was more of the same good ole boys crap.

I also told Larry that Steve and Kate had offered to buy the paint and Brian had offered to use his paint sprayer to paint the house. James refused. Larry thought it was his pride. He also told me he had never heard that neighbors tried to help James. I told him there had been numerous other offers (e.g., Brian offered his high pressure washer so James could get the algae off his house).

Larry planned a campaign to get SHIP in to repair the windows, et al, and Paint Your Heart Out Tampa to paint the house after it was pressure washed and repaired. He told me I'll have to be patient while all this gets worked out. So he is going to clean the place up with no thought to keeping it cleaned up.

Larry also said he'll pay the two years' back taxes on 6003. So, he's going to use money from people who pay their taxes to sustain this nuisance. This is unbelievable. Brian is pricing out a six foot fence with lattice. I will continue to add latice in two foot lots until I cannot see that house any more.

Saturday a man came by with an old lawn mower. James fiddled and finally got it started for about 2 minutes. The it stalled. I lost what little mind is left to me and walked out with my toolshed keys and asked James if he wanted to borrow my mower. Jessica was walking past him and said "if you say yes I will hit you in the face." James of course said no.

James kept tinkering with it and it ran for a while. The Boyfriend mowed for a while and James and Jessica pulled and cut weeds in front yard. For a non-codeable offense, they certainly are moving fast.

Larry is either an idiot or a liar: He told Jeff Butera that grass and paint are not Code issues. Sec. 19-50 of the Tampa Code says that nuisance vegetation exceeding 12" over the majority of the parcel is a public nuisance. (Apparently Code sang a different song to Alverson; he mowed the lawn Saturday). As to paint, Sec. 19-231(15) provides, in relevant part:

The exterior of all structures ... shall be protected from the elements by the application of paint or other approved protective material and shall be maintained in a good state of repair... All structures ... shall be free of deterioration and maintained in a good state of repair and such that the appearance of the premises and structures shall not constitute a blighting factor for adjoining property owners...

More to the point here, there is a pile of trash including a tire and two open containers that are breeding mosquitoes


and Larry wanted to talk about grass and paint. And he repeatedly told Carolyn that the birdbath, benches, and swing were personal taste and they could do nothing about them. I guess he is too important to have read the file or this blog before coming out. If he had done either he would have known that Carolyn has not complained about the birdbath et al.

Carolyn has been living next to a public nuisance (including trash and unmowed lawns and, for the past year, raw sewage) for years and Code nonEnforcement now is telling her to be patient.

Code has been unwilling to deal with the nuisance at 6003 for years. Now that TV has entered the picture, they are going to slap on a temporary remedy (at taxpayer expense) and let the underlying problem fester. Code is not part of the solution in Tampa; it is part of the problem.

It Takes TV to get Action from Code nonEnforcement

John here.

Jeff Butera of ABC Action News called Carolyn for an appointment to see the problems at 6003. His did a pretty good job of reporting the situation. He did a superior job of turning out Code nonEnforcement: The acting Deputy Mayor who has Code and the Area Supervisor for Code. We'll have more to say about them later.

For now, we'll note that the Code nonEnforcement guy told Carolyn several times that the birdbath, benches, and swing were personal taste and they could do nothing about them. I guess he is too important to have read the file or this blog before coming out. If he had done either he would have known that Carolyn has not complained about those things.

Butera also caught the notion that the sewage problem was only in July. In fact, of course, July was the third incident in a series that goes back nearly a year.

For now, the question is the one Carolyn posed: Why does it take a TV station to get Code nonEnforcement, which has been trashing about fecklessly for four years now, to (maybe, at last) do its job?

Good News and Astounding News

John here.

My peripatetic sister was out twice today and returned each time with News.

Dog Day

This morning, Alverson was before Judge Nick Nazarettian on three charges from last April when two of his dogs attacked Carolyn and her Mario


in Carolyn's driveway(!). The dogs bit Mario once and Carolyn twice. Of course they had not been vaccinated for rabies.

The Judge imposed a penalty, which looks to be up to $500 per count. In light of Alverson's history (failed to pay property tax; $504.45 unpaid water bill) we can anticipate having an opportunity to see what happens when he doesn't pay this.


Note added on Aug 20: I (at last) figured out how to access the Tampa court records. It seems that Judge Nazarettian talks a better case than he judges: The fine was only $25 (the same as the copay on Carolyn's tetanus shot) plus $110 in costs. Sigh.

Pants on Fire at Code nonEnforcement

On August 1, Carolyn filed a Public Records Act request with Jake Slater at Code nonEnforcement for records of the inspections at 6003 and for

any public records that would excuse the accumulations at 6003 Otis that are not visible from the road from the requirement of Section 19-237 of the Tampa Code of Ordinances.

The same day, Joe Papy of Code replied:

Those records are available for public inspection at our public access walk up kisok at 2105 N Nebraska Ave, between the hours of 8am and 4pm. Copies may be purchased for 15 cents per page.

Today Carolyn visited the kiosk. The extremely helpful Dee was not available but the equally helpful Lisa Middleton provided the inspection reports and told Carolyn that all they have there are inspection records.

Let's be clear about this: Code says trash is OK if it's not visible from the street. Carolyn asked for records saying it's OK to pile up your trash so long as it's not visible from the street. Code said the records are at the Kiosk. There are no such records at the kiosk. The only conclusion is that the Code website and their manifest practice are contrary to law.

That's right: Code nonEnforcement is supposed to enforce the law and, instead, they are telling lies and not enforcing. My sister and the other law-abiding citizens of Tampa get to pay taxes to support this mendacity and nonfeasance.

Orchid and Onions

John here.

It looks like the EPC is able to get results while Code nonEnforcement reamains unwilling to do its job.

Orchid to EPC

Jeff Sklut of the Environmental Protection Commission called Carolyn Monday morning, July 25, and visited 6003 in the early afternoon of the same day (with a posse of the Code and Health and Collection System bureaucrats who had earlier demonstrated their profound fecklessnss). By Wednesday there was lime on the ground atop the raw sewage behind 6003. By Saturday there was new sewer piping in the ground (and a report from the SHIP plumber that he had cleared a blockage in the main pipe).

Despite some tap dancing from Sklut about how he was there only "to support the efforts of Tampa Code Enforcement and the Health Department" it is clear that Sklut got results in less than a week.

I'll say that with 99% confidence, albeit the process was opaque. Carolyn has been dealing with raw sewage on the ground at 6003 for the better part of a year, with no effective action by Health or Code nonEnforcement to deal with what turned out to be a blocked sewer. She has been living with trash accumulations, et al. for over four years:

Indeed, the count down at Code nonEnforcement overlooks the July 25 visit that found raw sewage ("public nuisance") a third time:

So, an orchid to Jeff Sklut and EPCHC.

And Onions

As set out above and passim in this blog, Carolyn and her neighbors at 6001 have been living next door to a Third World assault upon their health and property values for over four years. Code, with "me too" support from Health and Wastewater Collection, has been worse than unable to fix the problem: They are unwilling to fix it. The most recent example of this deliberate nonfeasance came on July 26 when Code inspector Bill Davidson, whose deliberate ineffectiveness raises a serious question whether his bosses would be better fitted for other work, marked the weed and trash ("overgrowth" and "accumulations") notices at 6003 "complied."

The place had enjoyed a mowing the previous Saturday so the weeds mostly were gone,


But the trash abided:



A glance at the Code nonEnforcement How Do I page suggests that trash is not trash if they can't see it from the road:

Things that most people would not normally use to decorate their yards are usually accumulations. Things such as lawn mowers, concrete blocks, lumber, and buckets for example should be stored away in a storage building or garage. At the very least, they may not be visible from the street and should be behind a fence or wall.

At the end of that para, they cite to "[19-49]." Indeed, Section 19-49 of the Tampa Code of Ordinances speaks to the subject:

Sec. 19-49. - Excessive accumulation of debris, rubbish, trash, etc., declared a public nuisance.

The existence of any accumulations of debris, rubbish, trash, garbage, refuse, garden trash, snipe signs and junk, as defined in this chapter, upon any lot, tract or parcel of land, improved or unimproved, within the incorporated boundaries of the city, to the extent and in the manner that such lot, tract or parcel with nuisance vegetation which exceeds a height of twelve (12) inches over the majority of the parcel or may threaten or endanger the public health, safety or welfare or may reasonably cause disease or adversely affect and impair the economic welfare of adjacent property is hereby prohibited and declared to be a public nuisance (emphasis supplied).

It seems that Code nonEnforcement has elected to read the bolded language out of the ordinance and replace it with: "And if we can't see it, it's not a problem."

This is, of course, shameful and unlawful. And it indicates that the lawlessness at Code nonEnforcement goes beyond Davidson and infects his bosses. We'll have more to say about this shortly.

In the meantime, a truckload of onions to Tampa Code nonEnforcement.

Public Service and Public DisService

John here.

We have good news and awful news. In the former category, the folks from SHIP have put in new plumbing at 6003 that looks to be professionally done. And they left the work open so it can be inspected (now there's a first!).


As to the bad news, Bill Davidson from Code nonEnforcement has filed a report that is baldly false: Despite this


and this


he reports that the "accumulation" situation at 6003 is "complied."

Here is the blow-by-blow from Carolyn:

July 27, 2011. 9:07 AM

Went out and took pictures of shit dump. Shreds of TP and a couple of cigarette butts but no sight of lime. I wonder how many thousands of pathogens are lingering next door. I know some of these have washed over onto my land (it rained this morning which added yet another batch more). I used diluted bleach on my side of the fence.

Sent a public records request for all rabies vaccinations under names of: 6003 N. Otis Ave. Tampa, FL 33604 or James Alverson or Jessica Martindell. At 9:43 Dennis McCullough, manger of Field Operations for Animal Services, called to tell me that he had received my request for public records. He told me that the only vaccination records at 6003 Otis were for the two dogs who attacked and bit me and my little dog in my driveway. I told him there are now five dogs there and that I was concerned about being bitten again by an unvaccinated dog. Also told him there was a rabbit and a ferret. He responded that the ferret must be vaccinated also. He inquired as to whether there were any other issues with 6003. Told him about the year long quest with the city to stop and remedy the raw sewage. He wanted to know were there any other issues with third world country next door that reflected the lack of effective action on the part of the city. Noted the 31 initial visits and 62 citations from Code and how some were marked complied when they were not (e.g., painting the house). He plans to call Code this morning to see what is going on. I referred him to the blog which, if the clicking of keys I heard is what I think it is, he was in the process of accessing.

Dennis told me that Tom Green, the Communication Supervisor for Animal Services, would be calling me this morning and requested that I provide this same information to Mr. Green. Dennis will mail the vaccination records today.

A bright light in an ocean lackadaisical, ineffectual city personnel. Interestingly, during our conversation as I was thanking him for his help he brought up the concept of public servant. He told me I did not have to thank him he was only serving a member of the public.

During my lunch break Jeff Sklut called me on my cell phone . He told me that Code had told him that the lime was down and that there was a group SHIP that would fix James' plumbing problems for free. He asked me to let him know if there was no lime.

When I arrived home from work, there was a message from Tom Green, Communication Supervisor, asking me to call him with regard to problems with animals at 6003. Will return his call tomorrow morning. He had called at 3:47 pm.

About 6:30 PM I went out and took several pictures of the shit dump. There appeared to be a white powder sprinkled over the area. More bleach spray on my side. An interesting approach to weed control.

July 28, 2011

Went to permitting office with completed form for the demolition of my tool shed. A truly helpful and friendly woman, Billie, slipped me in between appoints. As she was researching my home she discovered that it was built in 1925 which meant a permit must pass through historic. Billie called Libby to see if they needed pictures or since the shed is only about thirty (30) years old I just be given a permit. Libby said she would check and call me. As I pulled into my driveway she called me to say that I did not have to go through historic and could return to permits. Thanked her and basked in the warm glow of knowing all my tax dollars did not go to officials who were feckless. Some of it went to these two women (did I mention that Billie answered three unrelated phone calls and a query from a colleague while she was assisting me? Talk about multitasking!) and to Animal Control.

My son came over around 8 PM. We visited for about 30 minutes. As I was walking him across my porch to his car, Jessica [Martindell], who was in the front yard talking on her cell phone, began the same routine as the other night (regarding the "fucking bitch" next door). I was focused on the plans my son and I were making so just heard her ranting a background noise. As my son got in his car I did catch part of a threat to the effect that "...I will make your life a living hell."

My goodness. Here I thought she had been doing that for almost a year.

July 29, 2011

Brian, a prince among men, showed up at 8:35 AM to clean my house. About 8:45 AM a van and a truck pulled up in front of 6003. Emblazoned on their sides was The Women's Center and Senior Home Improvement Program (SHIP). I also saw a Code vehicle parked in the street on the south east corner of the intersection of Otis and Idlewild.. I was rushing to get ready to leave, so I asked Brian to go out back and see what was going on. When he returned he told me they were digging around the back sewer pipes. I sent him out with my camera and asked him to take many pictures. He came back with two and some imprecations following him. One of the gentlemen from SHIP with was unhappy about the pictures. Brian told him to be calm that he had not included any humans in his photos. Brian went out several more time (in between dusting and scrubbing). About 9:30 AM I walked back behind my tool shed to see what was happening. The gentleman working back there had covered his work with a large outdoor garbage bag. Okayyyyyy. If he is a legitimate plumber why is he hiding his work?

Brian went back out about ten minutes later. When he came back he reported that several people were trying to block the site so he took my ladder out of aforesaid tool shed moved it by my clothes line, climbed up on it and took some more pictures. He said James was yelling at him and Jessica was calling him a fucking bitch which is also what she calls me. The slattern before Jessica also called me a FB. James does not hang out with intellectuals.

James had told Brian to stop trespassing and taking pictures or he would call the police. Brian said do so if you want, but it is not illegal to take pictures of sewage or pipes from my employer's land. A few minutes later a police car parked in front of James' house and an officer walked into the yard to talk to Jessica and James. As Brian and I watched from my window Brian pointed out that Jessica's baby's daddy had disappeared. He had been in the yard since all the brouhaha started but quickly disappeared when the officer arrived.. Thinking back he has never been outside when an official was present even if it was Code or Wastewater and not the police. Hmmm.

About 10 AM, I left with my kids in their car to take them to the airport. The policeman was still talking with James and Jessica. He made no move to engage me in conversation when I left. I did not return until about 3:30 PM when I called Brian to see what happened while I was gone. A few minutes later as I walked my puppy, the plumbers were stowing tools preparatory to leaving. I overheard one man tell James not to walk on the pipes until after the inspection. They are really going to inspect something in James' yard! Unprecedented. Later I took some photos of the new plumbing.

While running errands this afternoon I stopped by Code and the inestimable Dee Schultz again proved her competence and affability as she gave me the latest print out for the violations at 6003. There was a note that the inspection for Sound with minor repairs had been postponed until August 16, 2011, to allow time to get the painting to get done. Makes sense. This was dated 07/26/11 for a second notice and was marked FAILED. The other two citations from this action file, Accumulations and Overgrowth, were marked Complied on this same date. I was speechless when I read this.

Hello. Look at the pictures on the blog since last weekend. Big pile in back yard and toilet, tire etc. are still behind the tool shed. Is it a prerequisite for code inspector school that an applicant must be visually impaired? or indifferent? or (say it softly) misconstruing the truth purposefully?

July 30.

When I walked the petite puppy after work (~6:30 PM) Jessica was sitting in the front yard talking on her cell phone (notice these folks can't pay their water bill but they have cell phones). As I walked on the now unobstructed sidewalk she raised her voice and began talking about the bitch next door etc., etc. I covered Mario's ears and walked on.