Oakland homeowners decry onerous blight penalties

[Liberal_in_LA]

Russack purchased one of the fixer-uppers in July 2008, and the following month El-Baroudi bought the other - each intending to rebuild the houses with their own hands to make up for what they lacked in cash.

But before long, the city of Oakland notified the new homeowners that they were breaking the law. Their offense: owning blighted properties.

What happened over the next three years to El-Baroudi and Russack echoes the experiences of dozens of other Oakland property owners who have been penalized by the city with fines and liens for blight that many say are exorbitant and have prevented them from actually fixing their properties.

"The city wasn't very interested in what happens on the ground and fixing up the house," said El-Baroudi, who is still unable to move into his house. "They were just interested in collecting money and fines."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/19/MNCC1L3V1M.DTL#ixzz1YVxTQd3m

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. Flippers Busted

Alternate headline

[MineralMan]

2. Not necessarily. I could also be people planning to rehab and

move in. Either way, returning those homes to be available for people to live in them is a good thing, all around. The city is being very stupid here. The only ways to remove blighted residential neighborhood are to fix the homes up or raze the entire neighborhood. I prefer the former, even if those fixing up the homes have the goal of flipping them or turning them into rentals.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. You lost me at "I prefer the latter..."

Quote:

"...fix the homes up or raze the entire neighborhood"

[MineralMan]

8. Stupid me! No, I prefer they be fixed up. Brain fart.

I feel stupid. I've edited the post. Thanks for the head's up.

[Angry Dragon]

6. So you want the city to destroy the whole neighborhood??

[MineralMan]

9. My error. I've edited the post. I meant "the former."

I feel really stupid right now, but I've edited the post. Thanks for pointing it out.

[Angry Dragon]

13. The post did not sound like you

[slackmaster]

4. 3314 Magnolia St. in Oakland is the only house that Joseph Russack has ever owned

Omar El-Baroudi has never previously owned a house (under that name) either.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

11. Did you read the entire article?

Sounds like Oakland Building and Safety is a profit center for the city and is basically FUBAR. Kids toys in the front yard do not constitute blight.

Inspectors disdain for owner done work is legendary though a little bakeesh can make that go away (also legendary)

[Shagbark Hickory]

3. Sounds like yet another municipality that should be dissolved.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. Oakland is a real pit, but it still can be recovered. Rational management would be a good start

[demosincebirth]

10. You must be talking about a different Oakland than I know. All cities

have their bad areas. Oakland has one. East.Oakland. The rest of the city is a nice and safe place to live in, comparable to any other big city.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. We sold all the property there before the bubble burst and got out

It was already headed down then...East Oakland is clearly unsafe, but the city administration for the past several years has clearly not been up to the task. Building and Safety is just part of the problem.