IPFS News Link • Activism
Councilman Says City Retaliating Against Residents Who Dare to Complain about Bad Road Work
• thefreethoughtproject.comElaine Valla and Lompoc councilman James Mosby intend to put a stop to it in their city. According to the Lompoc Record:
"Lompoc resident Elaine Valla, who owns several properties in the city, said she had gone decades without receiving any notices related to code enforcement violations.
That all changed, she said, about five years ago when she complained to the city about what she felt was inadequate street construction work that was done by city crews near one of her properties."
Valla said the road work created a large bump at one of her properties, making it inaccessible without a large truck. Understandably, she and her late husband refused to sign the completed work form, and that's when the trouble started.
Valla began receiving notices of code violations at multiple properties, often for the most trivial of things. This included a barbecue pit left near a trash can, tenants having tires parked partially on gravel, having a portable basketball hoop and an old toilet being left in plain view while one property was being renovated.
Valla was ordered to stop work at the property until she got a permit to replace the toilet. She promptly went to get the ridiculous permit to avoid further costs in construction delays.