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Speak Out
Code enforcement is not social engineering
I can certainly understand the frustration Lakewood Village resident Thomas Mayer ["Digging Out of the Dumps," Sun, July 26] is having.
Sunnyvale Neighborhood Preservation Officer Laurie Aguinaga indicates that "she doesn't want to be too harsh on the code violators because she knows that the reason some people don't comply is because they can't afford to" and that is clearly an attitude that will result in violations not being corrected. Aguinaga should realize her job is code enforcement, not social engineering.
I recently had a small construction project at my house and worked with the city to make sure the design was acceptable and to get the proper permits, which certainly added to the cost of the project. I guess I should have skipped all that and if Aguinaga later paid me a visit, just claim economic hardship.
Simply put, the decision as to what to do with a code violation should have nothing to do with the ability of the violator to fix the problem. Imagine if other government agencies worked like this. For example, the police would no longer cite blue-smoke-belching, rust-bucket vehicles that speed and run red lights because clearly the owners would not be able to afford the ticket. I'm sure that if these homeowners didn't pay their property taxes (which might be a financial burden for them) the county would not hesitate to put a lien on their property.
As to Aguinaga's claim that often violators go right back to what they were doing after she leaves and that she can't follow-up on this, I have a suggestion. Next time she is in the neighborhood, take off her blinders, and drive by to see if the violation is still going on. Mayer is 100 percent correct that it shouldn't be his job to have to monitor the neighborhood.
It is quite reasonable for taxpayers to expect that the city will enforce code violations. It would probably take Aguinaga less time to enforce the code than it does for her to talk about how she can't.
Jeff Orum
Sunnyvale
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
