
Code enforcement officers tasked with managing homeless encampments
In old western movies, it’s the sheriff that vows to clean up the town. In real life, it usually falls to code enforcement officers. It’s a thankless, and sometimes dangerous, job.
“It’s a difficult job to be a code enforcement officer because you are enforcing codes that nobody likes and that a lot of people feel aren’t important, but they are,” Planning Manager Nikki Lee, who oversees property cleanups, said.
Since July 1, the Planning and Development department has cleaned up nine private properties and cleared 20 homeless encampments. That blew through the department’s $150,000 budget for this...