MAC Critical of County Code Enforcement

County Code Enforcement has left much to be desired recently, according to the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), who heard an update from the department at their Monday night meeting.

After a brief presentation from Code Enforcement staff, speakers and MAC members alike laid into the department, which they said simply does not do enough to keep the unincorporated area looking tidy and maintain a high quality of life standard.

Code Enforcement in the county is done by seven investigators who are assigned to specific areas in the county. They mainly work based on reported complaints of violations and don’t have the staffing to be “proactive” in seeking out violators. They also work regular business hours, which means staff is not available to do things like cite a loud party over a weekend.

According to the County, the most common violations Code Enforcement deals with include unapproved conversions of garages into livable spaces, unapproved advertising signage, overgrown grass, accumulation of trash, discarded furniture in open areas, and graffiti.

Additionally, Code Enforcement is responsible for tobacco retail license inspections, maintaining the smoke-free housing program, massage establishment inspections, and more.

The Mac said they appreciate the efforts of the small staff, but more needs to be done.

“When are we going to see weekend enforcement from Code Enforcement,” asked MAC member Chuck Moore. “You guys are nice guys, but we aren't seeing results.”

Some speakers were less diplomatic, with former MAC Chair Marc Crawford taking the microphone to say the County staff needs to be far more aggressive.

“Code Enforcement has been much too passive,” said Crawford. “The amount of damage that has been done to the unincorporated areas is incalculable and needs to be fixed.”

Other MAC members said the department had run more efficiently under previous management.

“It’s extremely challenging to get you to act or react to anything,” said MAC member Ken Carbone.

Code Enforcement staff reported that they responded to 420 cases in Castro Valley in 2022, up from 330 the previous year. Among all unincorporated areas, they responded to over 1,700 cases last year. They said their goal is currently to resolve issues and get things like litter taken care of, but not necessarily to be punitive- they give warnings and try to find resolutions. They try to avoid things like issuing fines.

The Code Enforcement question/complaint phone number is (510) 670-5460. The email is PlanningCode.Enforcement@acgov.org.