And it ain’t even Beverly Hills ….

@ https://apple.news/AJFIeAzy4TnKMnWbGkW7Rjg


Jim

You have to pay to see it, no thanks...

Comiefornia

Sounds like Click Bait.

Please copy the article here.

These deals are usually someone who is completely defiant, doesn't know how to deal with people, doesn't follow simple rules, or not telling the whole story. Or all the above.

I grew up 4 blocks from Beverly Hills. And worked on cars all the time. Still do. No running cars in backyard too.

Black Chevy Suburban's and code enforcement en route.....

He wanted to work on an old car in his yard. Now he owes $573K in Sacramento code violations
April 13, 2022 07:49 AM
Seven years ago, Daniel Altstatt parked a bright orange vintage 1972 VW bus in the backyard of his East Sacramento home.
Alstatt is a retired mechanical engineer and likes to work on vehicles. They are mostly older Volkswagens. They sat in the driveway and backyard of his home, a 1,440 square-foot house, which he inherited from his parents in 1981, on H Street just a block from the affluent Fab 40s.
He also had five other vehicles on the property, including two he inherited when his brother died. All were “operable,” he said, meaning, basically, they could be driven.
A neighbor complained. The city in 2014 issued code violations for the vehicles, claiming they appeared to be inoperable. It also issued violations for other items Altstatt had in the fenced private backyard — car parts, generators, propane tanks and fruit that had fallen off his picturesque orange and grapefruit trees.
Within a couple of months of being issued the violations, Altstatt removed the vehicle and other items from the backyard, he said. But seven years later, the bill continues to climb.
He now owes $573,000 to the city.
It’s a predicament that he and other home owners can face when city code violations pile up. In the worst cases for homeowners, the city can place a property under a judge’s control through a process known as receivership.
Alstatt has also been defending himself against a city lawsuit since 2015 when the city sued him in Sacramento County Superior Court. The case is now in the Third District Court of Appeal. 


“I suffered seven years of hassle,” Altstatt, 83, said. “I’ve lost lots of sleep over this. The whole system is incredibly stacked against the people.”
Sacramento sued 94 property owners
The city has sued at least 94 property owners for “public nuisance,” “general blight” or “substandard housing,” since 2010, according to documents The Sacramento Bee obtained from a California Public Records Act request. That does not include cases in which the city alleged drug-related charges including growing cannabis.
Some are apartment complexes with frequent police calls — deemed a “social” nuisance. Others are vacant, boarded-up commercial buildings. But some, like Altstatt’s, are owner-occupied single-family homes, which appear tidy from the street, but are the subject of city fees. The city has put some of the property owners under court-appointed receivership, meaning an attorney has taken full control of their properties and has the ability to sell or demolish them.
Even for homeowners who have been able to fend off the city’s attempt at receivership, like Altstatt, the city has the ability to charge the property owner $250 to $25,000 per day if it deems the violation to be outstanding — even if it is minor or appears to be addressed.
For Altstatt, the daily charges caused the civil penalties bill to soar to $573,000.
On a recent weekday, Alstatt wore his typical uniform of old blue jeans and hiking boots. His white and gray beard almost reached his chest. He is soft-spoken, but also appeared worn down and defeated. Seven years of fighting the city had taken its toll. It has also taken a toll on his finances. He estimates he’s spent at least $50,000 defending himself so far, depleting his savings account.
“They’ve got all the power and an infinite amount of money to hassle you and you don’t have any,” Altstatt said. “The homeowner has zero experience dealing with the legal system. They’re overwhelmed and bewildered. They thought they had rights but they find they don’t have any. Their rights are stolen.”
City spokesman Tim Swanson did not respond to a list of questions for this story by The Sacramento Bee’s publication deadline.
Altstatt is on a fixed income and does not have an attorney. He’s devoted hours researching the law, scouring over hundreds of documents full of legalese, and showing up for court dates.
“I have suffered seven years of litigation abuse,” Altstatt said. “It’s difficult to put a dollar amount on the level of aggravation, pain and suffering it has caused.”
But even homeowners who can afford to hire lawyers can find themselves in a similar situation.
Hot tub battle
Robin Brewer is an attorney for the state Department of Water Resources and once hosted an event for U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff at her house.
In 2019 she installed a hot tub in the side yard of her $1.3 million Curtis Park home after obtaining a city permit, she said. The city in 2019 issued a code violation for unpermitted construction for the hot tub and also a fence. It then sued her.
The city has been charging her $250 a day since May 2019 for the alleged violations, said Daniel O’Donnell, her attorney. The bill so far has totaled more than $270,000.
“It’s so much per day,” said Brewer. “I will take it to the U.S. Supreme Court if I have to.”
Like Altstatt, she was also able to block the city from putting her house in receivership, but she still lost many rights, she said.
“They put a lien on my title,” Brewer said. “You can’t get a home loan. You can’t refinance. It’s like you no longer own your house.”
Similarly, Altstatt is not allowed to sell his house.
Brewer said the city’s process is unfair because it causes the city to go after the houses that get the most complaints, not the worst offenders.
On a weekday afternoon last month, a city code enforcement officer visited Linda and Bruce Siegrist’s North Sacramento home, which is under receivership. He told them they needed to move their car, which broke down last month, from the driveway into the garage. As he got in his vehicle to leave, he was just several feet away from a pickup truck parked on grass, which is against city code, at a neighbor’s house. He ignored it.
Every time code violation officers visit properties that the city has sued, they find more violations, even if the owner fixes the ones they originally cited, Altstatt said.
“You can fix what they say is offensive, but next time they come, they’re gonna find more,” Altstatt said. “It’s like you need to have nothing but bare dirt in your yard.”
The city applies its “junk and debris” code violation liberally. Altstatt’s backyard is an oasis, nestled in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Sacramento. But there is a table and chairs set up, as well as some plant pots — things he said fears could be considered “junk and debris.”
Similarly, when a woman placed a fridge in her Oak Park side yard to help feed the poor last month, a neighbor complained and the city automatically sent her a notice for “junk and debris.”
Today, Altstatt typically has three vehicles in his driveway — two VW white vans from the 1990s and a 1997 Chevy Suburban. All are operable, he said, complying with the code, but they are older, in contrast to the sports cars and Teslas that dot the street.
“Some people may not think his car fits the neighborhood, but he’s been neighborly,” said Virginia Thompson, who owns the house next door. “And he keeps his grass mowed.”
‘Creating homelessness’
In addition to the more than $570,000, the city this year charged Altstatt a property tax bill that was roughly seven times higher than his typical bill, due to “administrative penalties,” according to an email from the city. Worried if he did not pay it, the city would sell it in a sheriff’s sale for unpaid taxes, he paid $9,600 earlier this month. His typical tax bill is $1,400, he said.
But even though he paid the taxes, he worries the city could still sell it in a sheriff’s sale due to the outstanding $573,000 bill stemming from the code violations.
If it does, Altstatt could be homeless. He has no children or family members in the Sacramento area.
“The city says they are trying to help homelessness, but they’re creating homelessness,” said Kim Glazzard, Altstatt’s friend. “They’re preying upon vulnerable people.”
Wanda Clark, whose Oak Park house was demolished in January after the city sued her for code violations, is now homeless, sleeping on her sister’s couch. She’s 71.
“They have essentially institutionalized elder abuse,” Glazzard said. “They use code enforcement as their weapon of choice by imposing exorbitant fines and fees far beyond what even actual criminals are charged.”
Budget deficit looming
Due to the 1978 property tax initiative known as Proposition 13, California cities do not reassess properties each year. That means in affluent neighborhoods like East Sacramento, for homes that have not been sold for decades, the city gets far less in taxes than it would if the house was sold.
The city has not assessed Altstatt’s home since he inherited it in 1981 — when it set the assessment at $125,000. A house 500 feet from Altstatt’s and roughly the same square footage (less than 2,000 square feet) sold for $1.2 million last year.
Altstatt accuses the city of trying to increase its tax revenue and also collect the hundreds of thousands in fees to help pad city coffers. A recent projection found the city will be in a deficit starting July 1.
“The city finances are in shambles,” Altstatt said.
If the 3rd District Court of Appeal rules against Altstatt, he plans to appeal his case to the state Supreme Court and maybe higher. He believes the city has violated his property rights in the U.S. Constitution.
“Legal plunder is the key to this thing,” said Richard Lee, Altstatt’s friend who’s helping him with the case. “They say you can’t fight City Hall. You can fight them, but can you win? We’re trying to set a precedent.”

I have no problem seeing the link
on my IPhone - here is another
link that might work better:

@ https://amp.sacbee.com/news/local/article260208375.html

This isn’t “ Clickbait “.

If you know anyone who lives in the city
limits of Sacramento, CA - it is a problem
for folks working on their cars at their
homes.

Read the entire article.


Jim

This story is local to me and I've seen it before. Basically, a snooty uptight neighbor, who knows the statutes, disapproves of a person working on cars on their property and reports it to the city/county.

Same kind of people (yuppies) whose property doesn't have one blade of grass out of place and expect everybody around them to live by the same standards.

thanks for posting, I did read it and it's a shame and part of the reason I left ca. I 1994. I wonder if there is a legal aid source or an attorney that might take this on pro bono. 83 years old and they have to single him out. I don't know if a go fund me would help the man or not? or sell the house and move elsewhere. But at 83 he shouldn't be forced to

He can't, the lien's exceed the value of his home.

“They put a lien on my title,” Brewer said. “You can’t get a home loan. You can’t refinance. It’s like you no longer own your house.”

You own nothing that's taxable. You rent it from the taxing authority.

Code enforcement officers have a tendency to get a burr under their saddle. I had one single me out even though he never once saw me with a wrench in my hand (he was convinced that I was running an auto repair business). Apparently his final act got him fired, though. I would catch him driving through our cul de sac daily when I would be home for lunch (in my work van). I followed him one day so he called parking services on our perpendicular parking (not legal, but common at the back of a cul de sac). Sacramento decided some time back to make working on cars illegal at your home. Not sure what the solution is beyond better representation...

Code restrictions on DIY auto repair aren't all that uncommon, lots of HOA's have CCR's in the name of preventing what they see as blight and many of the statutes are the work of the auto repair industry who see us as a threat to their bottom line. (we are)

greedy rascals

"Rascals" is too kind a word, Cab.
Sounds like a typical Kali deal.
I understand some places want a HOA for the goal of homogenized & clean suburban area.
But few things grow as quickly and incorporate as much taxpayer abuse as a Kali bureaucracy.
Businesses, and the talent & jobs they have, have been leaving since the late '70s.
I'm surprised any are still there.
I gave up in disgust in 2004 and left.

I assumed it was worth more than the money owed as they mentioned a nearby property sold for a Mil +. It' sad that an 83 year old man is and has been subjected to the harassment he is. maybe that's why they call it Commiefornia . You'd think the Governor, a senator someone would step up to the plate SAD

This is the main story that continues to pop up online at various time points, proving some people's belief that California is completely out of control regulation wise. I have been in California all my life, have had old cars, known lots of other guys with cars who work on them at home, and no one has had any problems. And I have been in Sacramento most of my life, which apparently now is the worst place to be in California if you're a car guy. Yet me and every other old car guy I know basically get to do whatever we want with our pre-75 (no smog check required) cars. Just register them and get insurance and good to go. People can believe whatever they want about CA, but things seem pretty good to me from an individual car hobbyist perspective.

I agree for the most part.
I have not met with any trouble from the fuzz regarding my cars and parts at my place. The costs of registration, insurance and gasoline take a big bite but if you're earning enough, it isn't much of a problem.
What can change matters greatly is nosy neighbors. If they want to be a pain in the ass and complain to the man, you'll have problems.

We lived in a small town here in Kansas about 15 years ago.

They hired a code enforcement officer that decided he was going to "clean up" the town.

He started fining people for a kinds of things but, in specific, vehicles that had not been registered or tagged recently.

I got dinged for a Duster I was selling that had been in my driveway for less than a week.

The final straws were when he started harassing people going onto fenced property without permission and fining people that were building demo derby cars for a charity event. He had a salty demeanor and got crossed up with lots of people. He was fired shortly thereafter.

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winnah! My next door neighbor has a pile of differentials in his back yard. I have a parts car under a car cover in my back yard. He doesn't care, I don't care. Life goes on. But if he moved and I got one of these Better Homes and Gardens neighbors......

exactly, here in simi valley ca they leave you alone until somebody complains then they are up your azz, fortunately im 300' down a lane on a flag lot and my son owns the house next door, my 2800 sf shop had to be built as a "barn", they would only let me build a 1200sf shop, the "barn" could have been as big as i wanted it.

At 83 years old I would suggest one word, KILLDOZER...

And right now they are under 3' of snow, so no problem!

LOVE IT LOL, then he gets free housing, health care and costs the taxpayers $$ A method of payback maybe ?
My wife just commented that all the homeless encampments scattered throughout Sacramento as well as the entire state are tolerated and almost being encouraged [url=https://www.capradio.org/articles/2022/02/08/sacramento-took-nearly-a-year-to-create-a-new-safe-ground-homeless-shelter-we-look-at-why-it-takes-so-long/]LINKY[/url]
meanwhile lets go harass an 83 year old homeowner who has done nothing wrong

You are keeping a type of Horse in it right?

remeber the guy with the stolen tank in San Diego ??
ENJOY!!

With the logic the city is using to impose fines on that guy, the residents of Sacramento should be able to sue the city for allowing so many bums to set up bum camps throughout the city. It's pretty sad how the homeless crackhead tweakers have more rights than those who actually pay taxes and otherwise contribute to society.

Poor guy needed to hire a good lawyer when the city first started attacking him. Now it might be too late. If he had a really good, really aggressive lawyer he could probably get most of the charges dropped. The city is abusing the guy and a good lawyer could embarrass them enough that they would drop most of the charges. Unfortunately it appears that the guy doesn't want to hire a lawyer so the city might just end up taking everything he owns.

lol

The guy had multiple vehicles parked throughout his yard as well as a lot other crap littering the place. He claimed they were "operable" as in he could drive them. the law probably stated they need to be licensed and insured to be considered operable vehicles, common requirement. Sounds to me like he blew off the citations and the fines piled up on him. Now he's whining because he didn't follow the law and thought he was above it.

There are places you can live where they don't give a crap what you do with your property, I drive through these places all the time, they are shitholes.

I have no sympathy for him.

Others would call them "great places to live....without uptight anal-retentive azzhole neighbors".

im keeping horseless carrages and a ram in the "barn".

If you want to live in a town full of Fred Sanfords then you are a dirt ball. If you want to live in a town full of people that think the dump is their front yard, then you are a dirt ball. And if you want to call me an anal retentive azzhole to my face you can do it, once.

Just because some town doesn't give a crap doesn't mean everyone who lives there hoards junk in their front yard. Id rather live beside some guy with a couple clunkers in his driveway then beside some stuck up anal person who rats out every property around them that isn't perfect. Or worse if your place isn't all that bad and is the norm for the area and some stuck up a-hole moves in wanting to change everything. Are there any pictures of what this guys place even looks like? Need to see that before anyone can really pass judgement.

Ironically usually they end up causing problems for people like this guy when there's someone 10X worse down the street that everyone ignores.

I'll agree with John, and allow me to explain why

Sniper, not always, had a neighbor across the road that collected crap for years by going to auctions and buying whatever was left over for one price. It bothered some but not others, like myself. We do live on acreages which can make a difference but a lot of his belongings were visible as one drove by. I moved here 28 years ago and bought 5.5 acres of ground to be left alone and do as I want. I keep my place very clean, mowed and presentable at all times and always have. I have also run a business here for 25+ years with full support of the neighbors. When I needed a zoning variation to do so legally. The inspectors that came up commented "people like you are not the reason zoning laws are written" and the neighbors all sent letters in for me.
We now have 1M + houses being built very close by for me. he has passed on and a developer bought the land trying to put 22 houses on it that would definitely RUINED the area as it has been. After several meetings with the C/Council it was dropped to 12. in two years he has sold two lots to 1 person but they have yet to start building. I would rather have looked at the old guys junk than have the area ruined by a developer. Good news is we have another younger collector down around the corner . nice guy, doesn't bother anyone just likes junk.
had the guy been totally neglecting his property in a residential area different story, but that doesn't sound like the case as several neighbors were quoted as saying he kept it clean and nice appearing.
With what little I know it sounds like harassments on technicalities like not picking up dropped fruit from his trees. WTFCares?
No offence meant to you just a differing opinion

OOOOH !!! And then what....lawnmowers at 20 paces? Exchange more insults on the Current Events forum? Kinda hit home, eh?

Bet you're a real fan of your estate-dwelling neighbors.

Time to lay off the testosterone supplements, dude...

Go back in your closet hero.

This guy that got hit with this big accruing fine needed better guidance on how to fight the code enforcement jackoffs.

There are codes that are favorable to classic cars and parts. In some cases, go down to DMV and non-op stuff.

Personally, if you drive by someones house and it looks OK, keep driving. What they do in their house, garage or backyard is none of you business as long as it isn't a danger to the community. Cooking meth, abusing kids, yeah that doesn't fly, cars and parts, meh. And please don't start about junk parts etc and vermin. If the area has fruit trees, you have rats/rodents all over the place! The parts are just a convenient excuse to hammer someone.

Some folks should read what is going on
before they post.

The gentleman inherited the house
from his parents.

He doesn’t seem to have a criminal history.
He wasn’t running a business out of his home.
He wasn’t manufacturing or selling illegal drugs
out of his home.
He seems to keep his grass mowed and his
home maintained.


Jim

Another point for those who didn't or couldn't read the original article, and this is a quote from the article: "which he inherited from his parents in 1981, on H Street just a block from the affluent Fabulous 40s."

Those of us in the area are familiar with this area, a neighborhood of mansions on avenues whose names start with 40 i.e. 40th Ave, 41st Ave, etc. and mostly owned by elitists who look down their noses at the bourgeoisie around them...one such mansion was occupied by the, then governor, Ronnie Raygun.

Bottom line, the offending items were in "a fenced private yard" and the person who complained to the county most likely complained simply because they knew the guy was in violation of statues.

Would be nice to have photos to make judgement call. I've lived next to both scuzzballs and moral busybodies. I can see the points from both sides, within reason.

I posted about this over on The Samba.
Like Moparts - The Samba is owner administered.
Everett is a good guy.

One of the replies was from a guy in the same
area who had a run in with a code enforcement
officer after a neighbor complained about the VW’s
in his yard and the get togethers he hosted with
fellow VW Enrhusiasts.

But the outcome was different for him.

Here is the link:

@ https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=767077


Jim

I live in Sacramento (not too far from where the guy in this article lives, in East Sacramento). A lot of East Sacramento is an older, established neighborhood where most homeowners take pride in their yards and homes (homes range from as cheap as $699k for something less than 1500 sqft up to multiple millions), and depending on what this guys' front yard looked like, it's understandable that some people might complain if he frequently had cars in state of disrepair in his front yard/driveway. over a half a million dollars in fines is ridiculous though. Here are some examples of some of the neighborhoods for context (it's possible he lives in an area of East Sac that isn't as upscale as this, I suppose):

here's an example of a home that sold for over a million, less than 2000 sqft;
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2612-D-St-Sacramento-CA-95816/25778354_zpid/

has anybody been able to get a picture of the purported blighted property? Wonder if more national attention would get some traction?

I'm pretty sure this is the guy's home from the most recent Google street view image. It doesn't look too bad to me - certainly not worth bitching about. I think the Karen that originally started complaining needs to get a life.

Looks like Zillow estimates the 1400 sq foot house's value at about $840k. I just wonder how the County can justify raising the guy's tax bill from $1700 to over $11k in just two years.

Yeah basically some Karen started complaining about the old guy and then some idiot at the city decided to turn the screws and there were not any adults in the room to tone it down. He needs to hire a really good lawyer to go after the city. CA allows criminals to walk but they want to go after this guy because he has fruit laying on the ground?

i live in middle of no where and still cant have that t mess in my yard

Sadly you get the government you vote for, but in some cases like these you may not be able to do anything about it, because most of these power hungry tyrants are not elected to their positions ... Fauci comes to mind ...

Then you really aren't in the middle of nowhere Ted ...

You don't have to drive around Sacramento much to find homeless camps that are piled high with junk. But the code officials look the other way and instead of cleaning up the homeless camps they go after old men who have some fruit laying on the ground in the back yard.

If you look at the Google map history, the next door neighbors house to left was way worse shape in 2011. Then is was completely redid in 2012 and sold. hmmm.....

In two pics 1 year apart in 2016/17? the 3 cars in driveway didn't move. But he did clean those up.

In one pic you see a desk and chair in front of house. He did add a gate to the driveway to block view of rear about 5-7 years ago.

Looking at the neighborhood its not all manicured lawns and houses.

Still wonder if there is more to this than what we read and see from google street view shots.

The guy live around 44th. These two are just the other side of 49th...






Wonder if they are getting harassed?

I keep trying to think of some way to help this guy. Change.org? Go fund me page? I wish that I were a lawyer that could step up and tell the state to stick it where the sun don't shine. the man likely worked and paid taxes his entire life and now has this cr-p to deal with. Why isn't the governor or someone out there doing something?

I know it's fun to say that he's being fined 500k for having fruit on the ground. But doubt it's that simple, or that he would tell the whole story to the news crew which would essentially mean he's admitting guilt.

From what he said, he remedied the situation (doesn't say whether he did it 5-10 years after it was required) and he's being hit with 500k in fines. I don't believe it's that simple.

Well, it appears there might be another side to this story:

https://sacramentocityexpress.com/2...ode-enforcement-from-the-sacramento-bee/

Harborage for Rats... there are trees with fruit around the area, going to nix those as well. Why did I know that would come up.

Govt agencies usually don't have the right to violate property lines to perform any inspections unless invited/allowed by an owner.

Getting a 573K number for a fine is ridiculous. JMO

FROM The Above article:



As Paul Harvey would have said " Now you know the rest of the story"
thanks for sharing that John

And myself, step #1 Whack the fruit trees or start maintaining them. Maybe the local homeless shelter would do so for the fruit

#2 Meet with the city with a reporter present and address the remaining issues.

The man may have some mental health issues

Another quote from the article "Altstatt, in court proceedings with the City, has argued that he is not subject to local (and state and federal) laws," is more telling for me. A sovereign citizen.

Playing the sovereign citizen card never works quite like planned..

Yep, that cr@p doesn't work and the courts rarely ever look kindly on that particular defense. Same as riling up a rowdy dog and then being stunned when the dog bites you. Forrest Gump stuff there.

"Harborage for rats?" Haha!! Give me a break!! Do you know what else is a harborage for rats?? Homeless encampments - ironically not too far from where this issue is happening.

Any legal case cannot be summed up with a quote
taken out of context.

If the gentleman had a History of acting in an
irrational or confrontational manner - you better
believe it would be all over the Interweb.

His actual neighbors don’t seem to have
an issue with him.


Jim

All it takes is one complaint to get the ball rolling.

I had an issue where a woman complained that the flashes of light from MIG welding, coming from under the cracked open garage door, "frightened" her children... Can't make that type of stuff up. She didn't even live on the same street as me, saw the flash as she drove by.

And yes, MOPOWERS, the rat red herring is always my favorite when they have an outstanding existing habitat that is A-OK with the local protectors.

Thanks for finding and sharing that, now it's making sense, and has little or nothing to do with the guy working on cars at home. That this has been translated into something related to how California (or Sacramento county) is cracking down on car enthusiasts is pretty laughable.. but it gets clicks. Here we are.

If you want to live in a town full of Fred Sanfords then you are a dirt ball. If you want to live in a town full of people that think the dump is their front yard, then you are a dirt ball. And if you want to call me an anal retentive azzhole to my face you can do it, once.

[/quo
your nothing but a worm filcher in my book I'm sooo afraid of a big bad sniper probably couldn't hit at 500 let alone 2k haaaaaaaahaaaaaa boy

Battle of the keyboard commandos! Fight of the century!

(I got 20 on Kunkel)