Article 26 — CIVIC CENTER DISTRICT

A Civic Center District is hereby established, the boundaries of which shall be as follows:

That certain real property in the City of Torrance, County of Los Angeles, State of California, described as follows:

Those portions of Tract No. 7873 as per map recorded in Book 109, Pages 99 and 100, of Maps, Records of said County, Tract No. 14950 as per map recorded in Book 397, Pages 9 to 12, inclusive, of Maps, Records of said County, Tract No. 14958 as per map recorded in Book 405, Pages 31 to 33, inclusive, of Maps, Records of said County, Tract No. 16401 as per map recorded in Book 408, Pages 41 to 43, inclusive, of Maps, Records of said County, described as a whole as follows:

Beginning at the intersection of the southerly line of the northerly sixty (60) feet of Lot 5 of said Tract No. 7873 with the westerly line of said Lot 5; thence easterly along said southerly line to a point of intersection with the easterly line of said Lot 5; thence southerly along said easterly line to a point of intersection with the westerly prolongation of the northerly line of Lot 1 of said Tract No. 14950; thence easterly along said westerly prolongation and northerly line to the easterly line of Lots 1 to 19, inclusive of said Tract No. 14950; thence southerly along said northerly prolongation and said easterly line to the southeasterly corner of said Lot 19; thence southerly to the northeasterly corner of Lot 1 of said Tract No. 16401; thence southerly along the easterly line of said Lot 1 and westerly along the southerly line of said Lot 1 to the southwesterly corner of said Lot 1; thence southwesterly to the southeasterly corner of Lot 1 of said Tract No. 14958; thence westerly along the southerly line of Lots 1 to 25, inclusive of said Tract No. 14958 to the southwesterly corner of said Lot 25; thence northerly to the southwesterly corner of Lot 5 of said Tract No. 7873; thence northerly along the westerly line of said Lot 5 to the point of beginning.

The Civic Center District shall be an overlay zone. All parcels of land or portions thereof shall be subject to the regulations of said zone in addition to the regulations of the underlying zone as provided in this Code.

The regulations provided in this Article for Civic Center District shall not supersede but shall be in addition to regulations applicable to the underlying zone.

It is hereby declared a public nuisance for any person owning, leasing, occupying or having charge of any premises in the Civic Center to maintain such premises in such manner that any of the following conditions are found to exist thereon:

a) Buildings which are abandoned, boarded up, partially destroyed, or left in a state of partial construction for prolonged periods;

b) Attractive nuisances in the form of abandoned and broken equipment dangerous to children;

c) Maintenance of premises in such condition as to be detrimental to the public health, safety or general welfare;

d) Property maintained in such condition as to become so defective, unsightly, or in such condition of deterioration or disrepair that the same causes appreciable diminution of the property values of surrounding properties or is materially detrimental to proximal properties and improvements;

e) Property maintained by itself or in conjunction with others so as to establish a prevalence of depreciated values, impaired investments, and social and economic maladjustments to such an extent that the capacity to pay taxes is reduced and tax receipts from such particular area are inadequate for the cost of public services rendered therein.

All or any part of premises found as provided herein, to constitute a public nuisance may be abated by rehabilitation, demolition or repair pursuant to the procedures set forth herein. The procedures set forth herein shall not in any manner limit or restrict the City from enforcing the City ordinances or abating public nuisances in any other civil proceeding provided by law.

Whenever the Planning Commission finds that any premises within the Civic Center District is maintained contrary to one (1) or more of the provisions of Section 91.26.4., then the Planning Commission shall by resolution declare its intent to conduct a public hearing to determine whether the same constitutes a public nuisance, the abatement of which is appropriate under the police power of the City. Said resolution shall describe the premises involved by street address, referring to the street by name under which it is officially or commonly known, and shall describe the property upon which the alleged nuisance exists by giving the lot and block number thereof.

Within thirty (30) days after the passage of said resolution by the Planning Commission, the Secretary of the Planning Commission shall cause to be conspicuously posted on the premises, a certified copy of the Resolution of the Planning Commission and a notice of the time and place of hearing before the Planning Commission, which said notice shall be titled: "NOTICE OF HEARING" in letters not less than one (1) inch in height and shall be substantially in the following form:

NOTICE OF HEARING TO DETERMINE EXISTENCE OF PUBLIC NUISANCE AND TO ABATE IN WHOLE OR PART

Notice is hereby given that on the day ______ of ____________, the Planning Commission of the City passed a resolution declaring its intent to ascertain whether certain premises situate in the City of Torrance, State of California, known and designated as: in said City, and more particularly described as Lot No. ______, Tract No. ______, constitute a public nuisance and are subject to abatement by rehabilitation of such premises or by the repair or demolition of building or structures situate thereon; if said premises, in whole or part, are found to constitute a public nuisance as defined by Section 91.26.4. of this Code and if the same are not promptly abated by the owner, such nuisances may be abated by municipal authorities, in which case the cost of such rehabilitation, repair or demolition will be assessed upon such premises and such cost will constitute a lien upon such land until paid. (Reference is hereby made to Resolution No. ______ on file with the City Clerk for further particulars). Said alleged violations consist of the following:

All persons having any objection to, or interest in said matters are hereby notified to attend a meeting of the Planning Commission of the City to be held in the City Hall at 3031 Torrance Boulevard, on the ______ day of , 197, at the hour of ____________.M., of said day, when their testimony and evidence will be heard and given due consideration. DATED: This ______ day of , 197. Secretary of the Planning Commission

The City Clerk shall cause to be served upon the owner, lessee and person having occupancy of each of the affected premises, one (1) copy of said notice and a certified copy of the Resolution of the Planning Commission, in accordance with the provisions of Section 91.26.7. and 91.26.9. hereof.

Said notices and Resolution shall be posted and served, as aforesaid, at least thirty (30) days before the time fixed for such hearing; proof of posting and service of such notices and Resolution shall be made by affidavit filed with the Planning Commission.

Service of said notice and Resolution shall be by personal service upon the owner, lessee and person having occupancy of the affected premises. Said mail shall be registered or certified and addressed to said owner at the last known address of said owner. The service is complete at the time of such deposit. "Owner" as used herein shall mean any person having or claiming to have any legal or equitable interest in said premises, as disclosed by a title search from any accredited title company.

At the time stated in the notices, the Planning Commission shall hear and consider all relevant evidence, objections or protests, and shall receive testimony from owners, witnesses, City personnel and interested persons relative to such alleged public nuisance and to proposed rehabilitation, repair or demolition of such premises, said hearing may be continued from time to time. Upon the conclusion of said hearing, the Planning Commission shall, based upon such evidence, determine whether the premises, or any part thereof, as maintained constitute a public nuisance as defined herein. If the Planning Commission finds that such public nuisance does exist and that there is sufficient cause to rehabilitate, demolish or repair the same, the Planning Commission shall prepare and file with the City Council, a report of such findings and of its recommendation with respect thereto.

Upon receiving such report from the Planning Commission, the City Council may, upon ten (10) days written notice to the owner and to all interested persons to appear and show cause why the report of the Planning Commission should not be accepted and why such premises should not be so declared and so abated, by Resolution adopted upon conclusion of such show-cause hearing, declare such to be a public nuisance and order the abatement of the same within sixty (60) days, by having such premises, buildings or structures, rehabilitated, repaired or demolished in the manner specifically set forth in said Resolution.

A copy of said Resolution of the City Council ordering the abatement of said nuisance shall be served upon the owner of said property in accordance with the provisions of Section 91.26.9. and shall contain a detailed list of needed corrections. Any property owner shall have the right to have any such premises rehabilitated or to have such buildings or structures demolished or repaired in accordance with said Resolution and at his own expense provided the same is done prior to the expiration of said sixty (60) day abatement period.

If such nuisance is not abated by the owner, as directed within said sixty (60) day period, then the City Council may direct the City Manager to cause the same to be abated by City forces or private contract under established City bidding procedures.

The City Manager shall keep an account of the cost (including incidental expenses) of abating such nuisance on each separate lot, or parcel of land where the work is done and shall render an itemized report in writing to the said City Council showing the cost of abatement and the rehabilitating, demolishing or repairing of said premises, buildings or structures, including any salvage value relating thereto; provided, that before said report is submitted to said City Council, a copy of the same shall be posted for at least five (5) days upon such premises, together with a notice of the time when said report shall be submitted to the City Council for confirmation; a copy of said report and notice shall be served upon the owner of said property in accordance with the provisions of Section 91.26.9. at least five (5) days prior to submitting the same to the City Council; proof of said posting and service shall be made by affidavit filed with the City Clerk. The term incidental expenses shall include, but not limited to, the actual expenses and costs of the City in the preparation of notices, specifications and contracts, and in inspecting the work, and the costs of printing and mailing required hereunder.

The City shall give ten (10) days notice to the owner of the time and place set for the hearing; the City Council shall hear and pass upon the report of the City Manager, together with any objections or protests. Thereupon, the City Council may make such revision, correction or modification in the report as it may deem just, after which, by resolution, the report, as submitted or as revised, corrected or modified, shall be confirmed. The decision of the City Council on all protests and objections which may be made, shall be final and conclusive.

Any unpaid portion of the total cost for abating as determined by the City Council, shall constitute a special assessment against the respective lot or parcel of land to which it relates, and upon recordation in the Office of the County Recorder, as so made and confirmed, shall constitute a lien on said property for the amount of such assessment.

a) After such confirmation and recordation, a copy may be turned over to the Tax Collector for the City, whereupon it shall be the duty of said Tax Collector to add the amounts of the respective assessments to the next regular tax bills levied against said respective lots or parcels of land for municipal purposes; and thereafter said amounts shall be collected at the same time and in the same manner as ordinary municipal taxes are collected, and shall be subject to the same penalties and the same procedure under foreclosure and sale in case of delinquency as provided for ordinary municipal taxes; or

b) After such recordation, such lien may be foreclosed by judicial or other sale in the manner and means provided by law.

Nothing in the foregoing Sections shall be deemed to prevent the City Council from ordering the City Attorney to commence a civil proceeding to abate a public nuisance as an alternative to the proceeding set forth herein.