On Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council approved what began as “the good neighbor ordinance,” allowing officials to give out the equivalent of traffic tickets for nuisance infractions such as barking dogs, gas-powered leaf blowers and other quality-of-life issues.
The Administrative Code Enforcement program, originally proposed five years ago by former City Attorney Carmen Trutanich and former Councilman Greig Smith, moved through on a 9-1 vote. The measure still needs some work before it can take effect, with a pilot program to be operated by the Department of Animal Services. Councilmember Mitch Englander said some things still need to be worked out, such as some language so the parameters are clear, proper training of city staff and just how the program is to be implemented. He said he hopes to see it take effect in 60 to 90 days.
Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for City Attorney Mike Feuer, said his office is continuing to work on the ordinances within the program, and it will be up to the city to hire new staff, develop a contract with a vendor to process citations and work with the Los Angeles Police Department and Animal Services on operational issues.
City officials estimated it would cost $577,000 to start the program and that it could bring in more than $2 million in revenue.
Officials said the program is designed to prevent minor quality-of-life issues from rising to the level of a misdemeanor crime. One example cited was loud parties where officers would be called out to a location two and three times before being able to see compliance. Issuing a citation could quiet a disturbance on the first call, they noted.
Under the program, citations of $250, $500 and $1,000 for the first, second and third offense would be issued by officers. An administrative review process would be available to appeal the tickets.
