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invoked and the buildings shut down. Property acquisition is a policy matter that would need analyses of feasibility and citywide impacts. Mr. Schricker also advised that currently there is no authority in our Code to force owner who is responsible for violations to pay for staff response time. If City goes to court under red light abatement, equity of jurisdiction of the court could be invoked by the Court, but facts are difficult to prove. Recurring health violations would at some point give City authority to proceed on a general nuisance course of action which would deal with the evidence of mismanagement, not the mismanagement itself. Under the general police power, a City could enact a measure to provide cost recovery under certain established standards, and Redwood City could break new legal ground by enacting a law setting up a municipal receivership to deal with these kinds of mismanagement, but policy and economic ramifications would be tremendous. The following people addressed the Council, described the deplorable situation of the subject buildings and the gross and negative impacts on their neighboring houses including garbage thrown onto their property, pest infestation, burglarizing and vandalizing autos and homes, gunshots, drugs and prostitution and asked Council to do something dramatic to once and for all eliminate this health and neighborhood hazard: Anna Palmer, 3431 Hoover Street, Redwood City Deborah S. Crosby, 3443 Hoover Street, Redwood City Barry/ , 3419 Hoover Street, Redwood City Bonnie Miller, 1224 - 5th Avenue, Redwood City advised Council that there are many good tenants in the buildings who are working hard to take care of their apartments and to keep their plight in mind as Council works to resolve this problem. Tom Knecht, Redwood City Fire Inspector reported on the overcrowding in the buildings, the resulting garbage and unacceptable living conditions and asked Council to take aggressive action. Council Members expressed outrage at the behavior of Reverend Graham and that neighbors and tenants were forced to put up with such disregard for human dignity. CONSENSUS: It was determined by Mayor La Berge that it was the consensus of the Council to request staff to prepare recommendations regarding the following: a) every legal avenue available to the City to maintain low income housing, but protect the larger community from the negative impacts of such gross mismanagement; b) the purchase of the subject buildings by the City or a non - profit agency; c) taking management away from Mr. Graham and retaining an aggressive management firm; d) changing the Municipal Code to force owners to pay for staff time spent on enforcement, in order to take the profit out of ignoring orders to clean up and maintain adequate living conditions; e) the possibility that the facts warrant red light abatement; and f) the use of the Housing and Human Concerns Committee as a resource. MINUTE BOOK NO. 49 Page No. 316 Reg. Mtg. Minutes June 4, 1990 Page 4