(a)  It is the intent of the Legislature in the enactment of this section to do all of the following:

(1)  Initiate a coordinated active community approach to code enforcement.

(2)  Create a pilot program in which the department awards grants to communities that develop a code enforcement program pursuant to the criteria established by this section.

(3)  Substantially reduce the incidence of substandard housing through the use of creative and coordinated techniques of code enforcement involving an interdepartmental approach at the local government level.

(b)  The grant program established pursuant to this section shall be known as the Community Code Enforcement Pilot Program. The Department of Housing and Community Development shall administer the Community Code Enforcement Pilot Program.

(1)  The department need not adopt regulations for the program. The department shall publish and distribute a Notice of Funding Availability that contains application forms and instructions, eligibility criteria, criteria for the rating and ranking of applications, outcome evaluation criteria, interim or final reporting requirements, and other information that the department considers necessary or useful for implementation of the program.

(2)  The department shall review, rate, and rank applications based on its evaluation of the information provided pursuant to subdivision (e), and their projected program performance as measured by all of the following criteria, considering the size of the applicant community:

(A)  The minimum number of housing units affordable to lower income households that will be rehabilitated or otherwise brought into compliance with applicable building and housing codes.

(B)  The estimated amount of grants and low interest rehabilitation loan funds, from sources other than this program, that will be made available to the owners of housing units affordable to lower income households that are determined to need rehabilitation or repair pursuant to the program.

(C)  The incidence of poverty and deteriorating housing or housing code violations in each target area.

(3)  In addition to the other criteria in this subdivision, the department shall attempt to award community code enforcement pilot program grants to cities, counties, and cities and counties with a wide range of population sizes and compositions and geographical distribution.

(c)  The department shall award community code enforcement pilot program grants for programs that shall operate for more than three years. The grants shall not exceed four hundred fifty thousand dollars ($450,000), which shall pay for costs incurred over the life of the program. The department may establish minimum grant levels and lower maximum grant levels, depending on the amount and uses of funding sources.

(d)  Each city, county, or city and county receiving a grant shall develop a code enforcement team consisting of a least one full-time code enforcement officer and a part-time city planner, health officer, or comparable specialist. Each grantee shall provide, and fund at its own expense, at least one city planner, health officer, or comparable specialist for the duration of the pilot program, for a minimum of 20 hours per week. The grant funds shall be used for the code enforcement officer and related program costs, which may include full-time or part-time personnel, in addition to the grantee’s contributions, or for capital expenditures.

(e)  Grant proposals shall include all of the following:

(1)  Demonstration of serious, current housing code enforcement deficiencies within each target area, whether those code deficiencies are in violation of locally enacted ordinances or state codes.

(2)  A plan to have high visibility of code enforcement staff and to create close and frequent communication and interaction with residents and property owners of the target area, including in the evenings and on weekends.

(3)  A plan to convene community meetings to inform residents of the pilot program.

(4)  A plan to conduct ongoing frequent informal and formal community meetings with the code enforcement team and residents of the community involved in the pilot program.

(5)  A plan demonstrating an intent to ensure cooperative and effective working relationships between code enforcement officials, local health department officials, local prosecutorial agencies, and officials operating local programs providing public funds to finance affordable rental housing rehabilitation and repairs.

(6)  A plan for timely and effective administrative and judicial enforcement of code violations.

(f)  The administrator of each grantee’s pilot program shall evaluate the pilot program and report the findings and other criteria requested by the department indicating the effectiveness of the pilot program to the department within six months after completion of each program cycle approved by the department and funded by the Legislature. The department may require submission of interim progress reports. The administrator shall evaluate the pilot program based on criteria including, but not limited to, the following:

(1)  Results of a participant survey, including owners, residents, and active community leaders.

(2)  Comparison of each targeted area with similar neighborhoods with respect to repeat calls for service and other criteria testing the effectiveness of the pilot program.

(3)  The extent of any perceived or actual property value change between the commencement and the completion of the pilot program.

(4)  The number of cases opened and the number of cases closed, identifying the nature of code violations, the necessity of formal proceedings, the cost and nature of abatement violations, or other factors influencing the effectiveness of the pilot program.

(g)  The department shall review and report to the Legislature within six months after the grant recipient’s submission date on the findings of the pilot program administrators.

(Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 723, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2003.)