Tucson

Code enforcement crackdown past due: Slumlord millionaires, part deux

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3500 BL CAMDE N SIDE 7-22-12

by Pamela Powers Hannley

Exactly one month ago, I wrote a blog post trying to shame lazy landlords and trashy tenants and trying to push the City of Tucson into holding property owners accountable for illegal dumping. Apparently, slumlords are shameless bunch… but I perservere.

Instead of uploading another collection of trashy photos, I decided to focus on a case study– the midtown property owned by Alice Reynolds-Jordan and Gregory Jordan, 4160 Old York Rd., Monkton, MD. Why the Jordans? Because their collection of duplexes in midtown were in my July 2 code violation article (photo below), and a month later, the trash pile not only still sits in the curb lawn, it’s gotten bigger.

Alghough there have been several complaints to the city about this property, the original mattress is not only still there, but a couch and other pieces of furniture are now piled on top of and around the original couch (photo above). Also, often than not, there is junk furniture or just junk dumped illegally in the curb lawn in front of this property. My question to the city is: Why does it take SOOOOO LOOOONG to crackdown on repeat offenders like this?

The city has a graffiti reporting app to aid in rapid the reporting, clean-up, and tracking of graffiti. Why not a code enforcement app to report, clean-up and track illegal dumping? It could work the same way: concerned citizen snaps a digital photo and poof sends it to the city with the address and complaint.

Why don’t we have this app? The only reason I can think of is that the graffiti app potentially catches “criminals” while the code enforcement app would catch businessmen who are relying on the inefficiency and glacial speed of the city to aid them in breaking the law. (The plot thickens.)

More after the jump.

Medea Benjamin on drone warfare: Aug 2 in Tucson

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Drone forum flyer

by Pamela Powers Hannley

Remote-controlled warfare with flying drones is the United States' new no-muss, no-fuss way to minimize US casualities and maximize remote destruction.

Although around the world the US is using drones to destroy lives and property, here at home, there is increasing concern over the use of drones to spy on US citizens.

Drones are also big business; thousands of jobs nationwide are attached to drone building, drone training, drone research and development, and drone flying.. In recent months, both Tucson and Phoenix have vied for pieces of the drone killing war machine.  As cities and airforce bases compete for drone jobs, activists have been rallying against the killing machines.

To learn more about drones, drone warfare, and how this seemingly remote problem affects your life, come hear author and activist Medea Benjamin at a free event on August 2 at the Main Library downtown.

Benjamin is the co-founder of the anti-war group Code Pink, founding director of the human rights and social justice group Global Exchange, and author of Drone Warfare, Killing by Remote Control. 

For background on drone-related activities at Davis Monthan Airforce Base and other bases, check out this document.

More details about Benhamin's talk after the jump.

Dr. Heinz goes to Naco (video)

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by Pamela Powers Hannley

Those of us grumbling about newly-elected Democratic Congressman Ron Barber's Republican voting record must remember that Barber still has a primary challenger for the CD2 race in November. 

After the jump, check out State Legislator and Democratic challenger Dr. Matt Heinz touring and speaking in Naco. Check out his website for townhalls and upcoming appearances. Heinz will hold a Happy Hour fundraiser at Woody's Bar in Tucson on July 16 at 6 p.m., and he will be in Sierra Vista on July 18.

City of Tucson should hold slumlord millionaires responsible for code violations

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3600 BL E PIMA-RENTAL

by Pamela Powers Hannley

I live in one of midtown Tucson's many mixed use, multi-generational, multi-income neighborhoods. Cute, old adobes from the 1930s are mixed together with urban in-fill duplexes from the 1950s and newer. 

Many of the brightly colored abodes have been restored and are every bit as unique and architecturally important as those in the better known historic neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the homes in my neighborhood are worth much less than comparable homes in Sam Hughes or West University because of the seedy rentals owned by slumlord millionaires, who don't care about anything except making money.

Much to her credit, my neighborhood president is ever-vigilant when it comes to code violations– particularly junk furniture in the easement and high weeds/grass. Although she and others work tirelessly to keep the neighborhood clean and safe, it's an uphill battle because there are many repeat offenders– absentee slumlords who allow weeds to grow uncontrolled and pile up couches, mattresses, and junk in the curb lawn (as pictured here) until the city– at the request of the neighbors– gets after them.

The drill is…

  1. Citizen makes a formal complaint to the Code Enforcement Department.
  2. Eventually they send someone out to verify there is indeed a couch in the right of way.
  3. The city sends the property owner a letter saying they have 30 days to get rid of the couch. (This letter may go out anywhere from a week to a month after the initial citizen complaint.)
  4. Two months or more after the complaint– or the next bulky pick-up– the couch disappears– often because the city comes and picks it up.

The City of Tucson should stop babying these business owners and start holding them accountable for the state of their property. The rental in the top picture is on East Pima Street. When my intrepid neighborhood president wrote to Cynthia Gandy from Tierra Antigua Realty, this was the response.

Those properties have been vacant for many months My client purchased it as a foresclose and there was no furniture left behind He actually paid to have surrounding area cleaned Im sorry that someone is using it as a dumping area but it has nothing to do with us We don not even have a renter yet as my client has decided to do adt improvements prior to renting

Cynthia Gandy

Tierra Antigua Realty

520 544-2335 cell 520 870-9844

In others words, buzz off. Slumlords should be fined for these violations; I think $1000 would be a good starting point. Every time the city has to remove old furniture or junk (when it's not bulky pick-up time), the property owner should be billed– and jailed if they don't pay the fine. Renting property is a business. Maintenance of the property is a legitimate business expense. Landlords routinely charge tenants a cleaning fee. There is no excuse for landlords to allow crap to pile up and leave it for the city to remove. Furthermore, I know for a fact that some Tucson slumlords hire undocumented workers to clean out, paint, and repair rentals. What a creative business model: charge tenants a cleaning fee, pay undocumented works sh*t wages to clean up the mess and drag the old furniture to the curb, and let the city carry away the trash for free. Hmmm…

It's time to hold slumlords accountable for the blight they have created.

Slumlord names after the jump.