Editorial: The new sheriff in town
As detailed in our lead story this week, the City of Sonoma hired a code enforcement officer last May. While there were a variety of reasons prompting that decision, the long and short of it is that a variety of City code requirements were being ignored by a variety of scofflaws, and residents and businesses in the City were not happy.
It certainly wasn’t because the City’s police officers, under the able leadership of Chief Brett Sackett, were goofing off. It’s just that there are a number of civic ordinances and codes that grease the wheels of society, if you will, but which may not require 911-level attention of deputies, who cannot be expected to give the same priority to investigating an unlicensed landscape contractor as a dead body left in front of City Hall.
Yet there was clearly a need to improve Quality of Life code enforcement while freeing deputies to focus on matters that might pose more immediate and serious threats to public safety.
Code infractions can range from building code violations to unauthorized Plaza use to trash-filled vacant lots to a leaf blower roaring on Sunday morning. A particular motivation for hiring the new code enforcement officer was the growing number of complaints about unpermitted and illegal vacation rental and Airbnb-type lodgings that were springing up in residential neighborhoods. Many were little more than party houses for week-ending tourists that were also shrinking the already-scarce supply of housing, eroding the social fabric of neighborhoods and unlawfully competing with law-abiding hotels and B & B’s, which – unlike vacation rental scofflaws – were collecting Transient Occupancy Taxes that help fund City services.
We welcome the new code enforcement officer, Patrick Galvin, a licensed attorney who reports to Bob Smith, the city prosecutor. He has already been very busy, and it’s time well spent. We believe his code enforcement activities, vigorously pursued, can protect the City’s quality of life, collect city taxes and fees now being lost or evaded and, in the process, help pay his salary.
But like anyone in law enforcement, he can’t be in all places all the time. That’s why it is important that residents and businesses help – as they would any officer of the law – by reporting suspected code violations so he can investigate, take appropriate action to secure compliance and see to it that appropriate fines, back taxes or fees owed are collected.
Ultimately, the success of the office will be determined not only by the effectiveness of investigations and prosecutions but also by such citizen complaints. Complaints about all those things about which, at one time or another, we have all said, “Why doesn’t the City do something about (fill in your favorite code violation annoyance here).”
Code violations can be reported 24/7 by calling 707-565-4240, or emailing [email protected].
Code Enforcement will respond to all complaints within 24 hours. While it is not possible to investigate anonymous complaints, the office does not disclose a complaining party’s identify without their permission. Of course, crimes-in-process and other police and fire emergencies should continue to be reported immediately via 911.
So don’t just grouse about code scofflaws. As they say in Homeland Security, “If You See Something, Say Something.” And if you’re curious about Sonoma’s city ordinances, you can find them at: http://www.codepublishing.com/CA/Sonoma/.
