Code Enforcement
Humboldt County Permitting Problems
Estelle discusses the County permitting problems that Houston Muthart has been dealing with over several years at his Bio-Dynamic Vineyard on the Tooby Ranch.
Houston describes the hard but rewarding work that goes into establishing a Bio Dynamic vineyard. The alluvial soil is rich with nutrients and Houston hopes to provide jobs into the future as this ambitious project takes off. One big drawback: his property is on the Tooby Ranch, subject of an ongoing County lawsuit that makes it extremely difficult for Houston to plan for the future. The irony: The Williamson Act (subject of the lawsuit) was put in place to encourage agricultural management of rural lands.
Estelle Releases Statement on
Recent Code Enforcement Controversy
15 April 2008 -
The recent outcry regarding questionable code enforcement practices is clear evidence that rural people have become distrustful of county government. Longtime property owners have stated that their property rights and their rights to privacy, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in their own homes are in jeopardy. They see their rural way of life threatened by decisions made at the county level. Residents feel they cannot count on the very people entrusted with their well-being and the protection of their environment.
The deep disconnect between County Government and rural residents must be bridged if we are to move forward in a way that benefits all. Civil cases must be handled with civility and respect.
I think most would agree that we need proper environmental controls to preserve our natural resources.
Issuing warrants that allow for forcible entry to inspect generic non-threatening code violations on rural properties flies in the face of common sense and lacks respect for rural values. These serious warrants should be a weapon of last resort when egregious environmental problems are clearly in play.
I believe the county needs to take an open and friendly, not punitive and adversarial approach to guaranteeing compliance. This means taking a common sense approach to folding in already existing rural development. And it will take leadership at the Supervisors level to do just that. I call on the supervisors to direct County Counsel and the Planning Department to make public all policy decisions regarding enforcement of building codes and all parties involved to provide clear and transparent answers to the questions posed by the Civil Liberties Monitoring Project and hundreds of people who attended the recent meetings.
Given the seriousness of this situation and the potential cost to the county and the community, it's time for county leaders to ensure that government works to earn the trust of those it serves. Transparency and accountability are a good place to start.
PDF - Estelle Releases Statement on Recent Code Enforcement Controversy (pdf)
Related Links to Code Enforcement Issues
- 15 April 2008 :: Estelle Releases Statement on Recent Code Enforcement Controversy (pdf)
- 4 April 2008 :: Estelle speaks at the Civil Liberties Monitoring Project (CLMP) meeting regarding recent code enforcement concerns in rural Humboldt County
- 4 April 2008 :: KMUD Archives (Listen or Download Code Enforcement Meeting at Vets Hall)
- 22 March 2008 :: Estelle discusses recent controversy over Code Enforcement activities in Humboldt County
