FINAL ORDER GIVEN FOR LOT CLEANUP.Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer The owners of four neglected lots in Val Verde Val Verde may mean:
In an ongoing multiagency effort to spruce up spruce up Verb [sprucing, spruced] to make neat and smart Verb 1. spruce up - make neat, smart, or trim; "Spruce up your house for Spring"; "titivate the child" properties in this remote enclave of the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. , the landowners were ordered to remove abandoned vehicles, refuse and, in one case, a boarded-up mobile home. ``There are a lot of the community members that are concerned,'' said Jean Granucci, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW) is responsible for the construction and operation of Los Angeles County's roads, building safety, sewerage, and flood control. , which ordered the cleanup. ``They want their neighborhood to be nice. This is our response to the community effort that has been initiated. Our main concern was to eliminate any public nuisances public nuisance n. a nuisance which affects numerous members of the public or the public at large, as distinguished from a nuisance which only does harm to a neighbor or a few private individuals. and safety concerns.'' The drive started one Saturday in March of 1997. A team of sheriff's deputies paraded into town, then proceeded to walk door-to-door surveying residents about what they perceived were problems in their town. Answers varied from potholes to stray dogs, gang activity to trash-strewn properties. The program began as part of the 1994 federal crime legislation that provided the Sheriff's Department with $3 million to improve community policing. Deputies tallied responses and passed on complaints to appropriate agencies. Robert Cook Robert Cook can refer to:
Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. The Board of Supervisors is the body governing counties in the U.S. formally approved the cleanup orders, Cook was trying to clear two adjoining properties for an owner he represents. A half-dozen vehicles sat on one lot, their windows smashed by vandals, he said. ``That truck, sure it's old, but it's a good truck. I just have to fix up the windows and that takes a lot of time,'' Cook said. And on the rear lot stood a mobile home, its windows smashed and interior gutted over time by vandals. Cook boarded up the windows, but county officials view the structure as a nuisance. ``It's a safety hazard and he's liable,'' Granucci said. ``If you own the property and something happens on the property, they're going to sue you.'' Cook shrugs. He said it's difficult to find the time and to work through county red tape to improve the properties. ``What can you do? It's like swimming against the tide.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (Color) Robert Cook, right, says the county's order to clean up neglected lots has gone too far. David R. Crane/Staff Photographer |
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