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Lake County approves $1,094.54 lien after abatement of 250 Lake Street in Clear Lake Oaks
Summary
After a hearing, the Lake County Board of Supervisors approved a special assessment lien of $1,094.54 to cover abatement and administrative costs at a Clear Lake Oaks property found to be a public nuisance and lacking running water.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors on May 20 approved a county lien totaling $1,094.54 to recover the cost of a code-enforcement abatement at 250 Lake Street in Clear Lake Oaks.
Code Enforcement Manager Marcus Beltramo told the board his division documented accumulated household trash, tires and other debris visible from public rights of way and neighboring properties. Inspectors also found insufficient running water and issued a red tag, making the structures uninhabitable until water service is restored, Beltramo said.
The county obtained an inspection and abatement warrant after the property owner did not abate violations within the notice period and no appeal was filed. The abatement contractor charged $800 for junk removal and hauling; county administrative costs totaled $294.54, for a total lien amount of $1,094.54. The board voted to record the lien with the Lake County Recorder’s Office and transmit it to the tax collector for inclusion in the county assessment rolls and, if applicable, the upcoming tax lien sale.
Why it matters: The lien formalizes the county’s recovery of abatement costs and ensures the charge will be recorded against the property. County staff said the property also may be part of an upcoming tax-sale process, and they will transmit the lien immediately so it can be captured in that sale if applicable.
Board discussion and public contact
Beltramo said county records identify the property owner as Pamela G. Hahn and that he maintained contact with her during the process; he said people living in the dwelling were described as family members and that the owner indicated she lacked the means to remove the debris. Beltramo also said photographs taken between January and September 2024 documented trailers full of trash, miscellaneous rubbish and items that create harborage for vermin.
A board member raised timing concerns because the county’s tax-lien sale was scheduled to begin within days. County staff said they had coordinated with the tax collector’s office and would transmit the lien immediately if the board approved, and that the tax-lien sale process should extinguish the lien at time of sale so a buyer would not inherit unpaid county abatement costs.
Action taken
The board approved the lien in the amount of $1,094.54 and directed staff to record the lien with the Lake County Recorder’s Office and deliver it to the county auditor for assessment-roll entry as a special assessment. The motion carried on a unanimous vote.
Ending
County staff said the lien will be transmitted to the tax collector immediately so it can be considered in the county’s scheduled tax-lien sale. The property remains red-tagged until running water and structural issues are remedied.
