March 3, 2008; Denys Acury
COACHELLA VALLEY - The newly-revamped Code Enforcement Department is in the process of branching out with three new offices in the Fourth District. A new Code Enforcement office is currently open in the Desert Alliance for Community Empowerment building on Avenue 53 in the Coachella Business Park, and offices are slated to open in the very near future in Thousand Palms and Mecca.
"These new offices are designed to get us out into Fourth District communities in a very visible way," said Code Enforcement Department Director Jay Orr. "The Board of Supervisors has made a financial commitment towards increasing staff resources and equipment, and we are responding by being more proactive and involved with the communities we serve."
In addition to the new offices, Code Enforcement has new personnel, new uniforms and newly-marked vehicles.
"We are looking at ways to streamline our processes to be more efficient," said Orr. This makes it easier on those who want to comply with the law. Of course, it also more quickly brings resolution in the cases involving those who don't want to comply."
The new Code Enforcement Department was born out of the old Code Enforcement Division, under the umbrella of the Building and Safety Department. By elevating Code Enforcement to "Department" status, the Board of Supervisors intended to make code enforcement a higher priority in the County of Riverside.
The Department has, essentially, three divisions within it: a Special Enforcement Team, a Community Improvement Program, and "standard" code enforcement.
The Special Enforcement Team targets specific problem areas, such as illegal dumping—and it is doing so with increasing efficiency. Utilizing high-tech surveillance equipment and other methodology, the Special Enforcement Team—along with the rest of the Department—is experiencing unprecedented success in tracking down illegal dumpers and prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law. Illegal dumping is a crime, and, depending upon the material dumped and the quantity, it can be a felony.
The Community Improvement Program is an outreach effort which is intended to help residents beautify their neighborhoods and to come voluntarily into compliance with code enforcement regulations.
The "standard" branch of Code Enforcement responds to complaints from the public about abandoned vehicles, un-permitted structures, illegal business, accumulation of trash and the like.
If you have any questions about the new and improved County of Riverside Code Enforcement Department, please call 863-7180. More information can also be obtained online at www.rctlma.org.
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