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conducted by representatives of the Fire Department, County Health Department and City Building Department. The report described the structure and enumerated the violations under the City Code in the categories of sanitation, structural hazards, hazardous wiring and faulty weather protection. Under Chapter 9, Article II, Unsafe Buildings, a number of additional substandard conditions were cited. The report concluded with the recommendation that the premises be vacated and the City Attorney recommended that Council move to accept in evidence the report as read, including photographs, and document entitled, "Abatement - 8503 852 and 854 Main Street", (For additions and/or corrections, see Minutes of May 4, 1970.) City Attorney then asked as a matter of record whether the Chief Building Official had had occasion to review a letter dated March 20, 1970 from Stevenson Pacific, Inc., and if so, to comment. The Chief Building Official related there were discussions in which the building owner indicated he intended to have a. contractor investigate, and subsequent report was made and then referred to the Building Department for consideration. He had, therefore, reviewed the Stevenson letter. Chief Building Inspector then read into the record his response to each point in the report of the contractor, Mr. Stevenson, essentially disputing contentions that the building could be brought to minimum standards without major repairs. The only point of agreement was that major repairs to the structure were not economically feasible. He added that there could be no weighing of safety factors against monetary return. City Attorney requested a report on investigation by the Fire Chief, who was then placed under oath by Mayor Bury. He stated his concurrence with the statements of the Chief Building Official and referred to his letter dated April 8, 1970 to the City Manager expressing deep concern for the safety of residents of the Peterson Hotel and describing conditions such as improper ventilation, heating, unsafe wiring, all wood walls, etc., which would contribute to a rapidly spreading fire, buildup of tremendous heat, and resulting inevitably in loss of lives. He described recent tragic incidents of fires in other areas, specifically one in San Mateo, and another in Santa Maria, which took the life of a Fire Fighter, and several incidents of fires within or adjacent to the hotel. He added that the Redwood City forces are limited, and means of entering the hotel were meager, and in the event of a fire and this structure was unoccupied, he would not risk sending any of his men in. He concluded by urging Council to order that the structure be vacated, and that it be demolished. (For reports and correspondence, see City Clerk's file - Abatement). City Attorney questioned the Fire Chief for the record as to whether there had been fires in the building, and the response was that there had been a series of such incidents in recent years.