CLEARLAKE — When the City of Clearlake had to abandon its code enforcement policy two years ago, it lost more than a tool to keep the neighborhoods free of trash, abandoned cars, fire hazards and other indicators of blight, according to councilwoman Gina Fortino Dickson.
“When we lost funding (for enforcing city codes), we lost that partnership we had with people in the community,” she said. “When we had a person working on enforcement, we had someone who could connect with the residents, explaining what community resources were available, even how the city could help.
“We”ve lost that connection with the people of Clearlake,” she said.
Dickson and councilwoman Joyce Overton are among those pushing hard to place a measure on the November ballot that would raise the sales tax by 1 percent, with funds going to road maintenance and code enforcement.
If the sequel to Measure G, the tax initiative that narrowly lost last November, makes it onto the ballot and passes in November, 25 percent of the funds would go to code enforcement — a projected $357,000 in the first year.
As residents who walk and drive the streets of Clearlake, Fortino Dickson and Overton say it”s impossible to ignore what two years of virtually no code enforcement has done.
“I see it every day,” Fortino Dickson said.
“I get complaints all the time about how bad it”s getting,” Overton said.
So do other city officials, who regularly take complaints about trash, inoperative or abandoned cars, fire hazards, vermin, stench and other health and safety violations, not to mention neighborhood eyesores.
In many cases, there”s nothing they can do.
According to officials, the funds from the new tax measure would allow the city to hire and train staff, purchase supplies and materials, contract for services (including towing) and otherwise bring the properties up to code.
Backers of a new tax measure will have to convince residents that it”s money well spent — something they were unable to do last November. Proponents say they”ll have more time to get the word out, to canvas the neighborhoods, answer questions and explain why they”re convinced that passage of the new measure is critical to the future of the city.
One argument they”ll have to make to convince skeptics is that the money will go where they say it”ll go ? directly to road improvements and code enforcement.
Overton and other supporters of the measure say they”ll stress to those skeptics that the measure requires the city to contract with the State Board of Equalization to administer the funding process.
“There”s a tendency for people to distrust government,” Overton said. “It”s not just in Clearlake. I think it”s everywhere.”
