Torrance Municipal Code Art. 3 Environmental Quality Enforcement

The Building Department shall enforce the provisions of this Code relating to environmental quality, including but not limited to Division 4 relating to public health and welfare, Division 9 relating to land use and oil regulations, and Chapter 8 of Division 8 relating to signs.

An Environmental Quality Hearing Officer shall be designated by the City Manager.

Upon determination that a violation of any of the provisions referred to in Section 12.3.1. exists, a notice may be issued to the owner and operator of the property requiring that the violation be cured within a specified period or requiring the owner and/or operator to appear before the Environmental Quality Hearing Officer to show cause why he should not be found in violation of the Code and ordered to cure the condition constituting the violation.

a) Owner shall be defined as that person assessed for the property on the last assessment roll prepared by the County Assessor.

b) Operator shall be defined as the lessee, tenant, manager or other person in possession or control of the property.

a) Upon issuance of the notice described in Section 12.3.3., a hearing shall be scheduled before the Environmental Quality Hearing Officer. At such hearing, the Building and Safety Department shall make a report, and the person complaining of the condition may be heard to state the problem and the owner and/or operator may be heard to show cause why the condition should not be abated.

b) The rules of evidence shall not apply.

a) If upon the information presented at the hearing before the Environmental Quality Hearing Officer it is determined that a violation exists, the hearing officer shall issue a written order to that effect, stating the nature of the violation, its location, the facts in support of his conclusions, the time within which it must be cured, and the means by which it may be cured.

b) Said order shall be served personally or by registered mail on the owner and operator of the offending property.

Failure to comply with the order of the Environmental Quality Hearing Officer within the time prescribed shall be a misdemeanor.

(Added by O-2601; Amended by O-2822)

a) The decision of the Environmental Quality Hearing Officer shall be reviewed by the Director of Building and Safety upon written request of any person dissatisfied with the decision if such request is received within ten (10) days after the rendering of the original decision.

b) The decision of the Director of Building and Safety may be appealed to the City Council pursuant to the provisions of Article 5, Chapter 1, Division 1 of this Code, commencing at Section 11.5.1.