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Public Safety

Roundtable: Chargers Stadium Debate; Landlord Code Violations

By Pat Finn / Producer ,  Mark Sauer / Host, The Roundtable
Published February 20, 2015 at 8:29 AM PST
This story was published more than 9 years ago.
Roundtable: Referees Stadium Argument; Landlords
Roundtable: Chargers Stadium Debate; Landlord Code Violations
Chargers' Stadium, Landlords & Health CodesHOST:Mark SauerGUESTS:Tarryn Mento, KPBS News Megan Burks, KPBS News Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times

The Chargers (Heart) The Raiders

The Chargers’ long-running quest for new digs in San Diego has suddenly turned into a proposal for joint-tenancy with the Oakland Raiders.

And if that weren't bad enough news for Charger fans, the flashy new stadium is to be in the L.A. suburb of Carson.

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Most observers believe this move, preceded by a steep rise in tension between the team and the city of San Diego, stems from the arrival in L.A. of billionaire Stan Kroenke, along with his quite viable proposal for a new stadium in Inglewood ... and, not incidentally, a team (the St. Louis Rams) to fill it with.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer had last month appointed another stadium task force to suggest a solution to the lack of a solution, but had otherwise taken a mostly hands-off approach.

He insists the task force is still on the case and will come up with a stadium result for San Diego to please all.

State's Health and Safety Code Mostly Unenforced In San Diego

The California Health and Safety Code lists many hazards that make a rental property unfit for tenants. Further, it gives local code enforcement inspectors the authority to deal with non-compliant landlords by pressing civil or criminal charges or seizing the property.

This authority is not used much in San Diego.

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Bankim Shah owns some 90 properties in San Diego and manages several apartment complexes for other owners. He is one of the area’s most egregious offenders for code-compliance complaints, even those that imperil a renter’s health or safety, such as water leaks and dampness, insect and rodent infestations and lack of smoke detectors.

City code compliance officers say state law won’t let local staff enforce the rules against infestations and mold. A 2013 law authored by State Sen. Ben Hueso says otherwise.

Is the city unwilling to make examples of bad landlords? The only time the City Attorney's office went after Shah was for renting to a medical marijuana dispensary.

But Faulconer has pledged that the city will budget more funds for code enforcers and make the problem a priority.

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Pat Finn
Pat Finn previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition. Finn began her career in broadcasting at KTLA and KCET in Los Angeles. In 1979 she became KPBS’ Public Information Director, then Director of Advertising and Promotion, Program Director, and Director of Broadcasting. She oversaw the station’s local and national productions, including the one-hour documentary Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, and Child Protective Services, a one-hour look inside the San Diego County agency responsible for the welfare of at risk children. Both programs also aired on public television stations nationwide. Finn has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
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Mark Sauer
A newspaperman for more than 30 years, Mark Sauer joined KPBS in October 2010 and previously served as the host of the KPBS Roundtable. He spent 27 years as a reporter and editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune after stints at The Houston Post and at two papers in his native Michigan. A features/human-interest writer in the UT's Currents section for many years, Mark also spent about a third of his UT career as an editor and reporter on the Metro Desk. He has covered a wide range of events: Wild fires in Southern California and Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast; Super Bowls and the World Series; foster care and child-abuse issues; the Roman Catholic Diocese's sexual-abuse scandal and bankruptcy; royal visits of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Princess Diana; Republican and Democratic national conventions; high-profile criminal trials; and many other stories, from the silly to the sublime. Along the way, he interviewed everyone from presidents to pan-handlers. His work exposing the false accusations and prosecutions of several San Diegans for murder, rape and child abuse garnered Pulitzer Prize nominations and many regional and local journalism awards, including Best in the West, the Sol Price Award for Responsible Journalism and several San Diego and California bar-association awards. Mark has a degree in journalism from Michigan State University.
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KPBS News: Public Safety Policy
KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.
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