At first glance, what some passersby may see while driving between Pollard Avenue and Old Adobe Road is the upper portion of an old box-shaped building separated from the narrow road by a wooden fence and bushy trees. However, what neighbors on the other side of the fence are seeing is a collection of rolled-up carpet, overturned furniture, worn mattresses, dusty and deformed cardboard boxes and children's play equipment amidst dried foliage and untamed weeds growing from the nearby San Tomas Creek.

According to vector-control technician David Ortiz, who inspected the site on three separate occasions, there is also a vehicle buried underneath the mountain of trash.

Several neighbors expressed concern about the state of the abandoned property and urged city officials to perform immediate public-nuisance procedures not only for aesthetic purposes, but to prevent more rodents and wildlife from prowling around their homes.

"The site is an eyesore," said Jim Cuthbertson, whose view overlooks the yard. "We try to turn our eyes away, but it's difficult to miss."

Over the 40 years Cuthbertson and his wife, Shirley, have lived in their home on Quito Road, they said they've had minor issues with rats in the past and noticed the problem emerging in their backyard. Shirley said she noticed it when she saw strange prune-like marks on the branches of her orange tree and leaves that were partially bitten off. It wasn't until she spotted rat droppings along the fence that she determined what was destroying her fruit tree.

The Cuthbertsons said they have not had a problem with rats inside their home, but neighbor Seval Ozvern, whose property is directly adjacent to the creek, said she's seen so many rats inside and around her property within the past year that she is living in fear, mainly for her 3-month-old baby.

"I feel like I'm living in terror," she said. "My dogs bring home dead rats in their mouths. I hear squeaking noises around the house and the sound of rats walking on the roof."

Ozvern said that the number of rats on her property has been decreasing as a result of her taking extra preventive measures—plugging holes where rats could possibly be entering and taking out recyclable items on a daily basis—but she's still catching an average of five rats a day, ranging from four inches to a foot in length.

Ozvern said she is convinced that the pile of junk accumulating more than a year's worth of dirt is the source of her rat problem and has tried several times without any success to get the city to initiate public-nuisance abatement procedures on the vacant property, which used to be an adjunct carriage house for the building Ozvern and her family currently live in.

According to Ozvern, the owner of the abandoned property, Jane Escamillia, was the caretaker for the previous owners of Ozvern's home and inherited the carriage house. Based on conversations she had with the owner before her departure, Ozvern said Escamillia moved to Texas due to financial reasons.

Ozvern said she is upset that the city has not taken any action in addressing the hazards that the heap of rubbish can possibly create for the neighbors and is considering not paying the special assessment portion of her property tax, which has increased $18 from the previous year and includes sewer and sanitation maintenance.

"I am disappointed that the city is not taking the matter seriously," she said. "Not only is this a health issue, it's also a fire hazard."

Ozvern said she plans to gather a petition from Quito residents who would like to see the property cleared and push to have the property abated. She also threatened to sue the city if it does not pursue any action.

According to Community Director Tom Sullivan and City Manager Dave Anderson, authorities have been looking into the property to determine possible actions. As mandated by code-enforcement processes, notification letters must be sent to the property owner before any abatement action is taken. The city has done so for Escamillia, but all correspondence was returned without any success in contacting the owner. Anderson said he will recommend to Mayor Nick Streit to bring the issue back to council during a closed meeting on Oct. 15.

In the meantime, vector-control technician Mike Phillips said Ozvern should consider changing several things around her house to reduce or eliminate her rat problem, including cutting down the trees touching her roof to break any connection points leading to the house, removing the ivy, which is a rich food for rats and also provides access into the house, and scrubbing rub marks and urine trails off the walls so that other rats won't follow the odor.

Phillips said that in most cases, the person complaining of a rat problem ends up being the source.

"You have to look at the big picture," he said. "A person can appear to have the cleanest house, but there may be little things that can create a nesting area for rodents."

Ortiz added that he's inspected Ozvern's property seven times and found some evidence, such as a high population of snails underneath some floor tiles, to believe that Ozvern could eliminate a large number of rats in her home. He also said that the presence of rodents is typical in a creek-like environment and does not think that clearing up the pile of rubbish would eradicate the rat population; however, it would get rid of probable harboring spots. In addition, he said that should there be rats on the vacant property's yard—although he did not see any droppings inside the building—they would generally not cross the creek when it is filled with water just to get to the property. However, rats that are already on the other side of the creek next to the property would more likely make their way to the site.