Upland adopts streamlined administrative fines, creates hardship-waiver process for infractions

The Upland City Council on April 14 voted unanimously to update the city's administrative fine schedule and to add a formal hardship-waiver process for infraction fines.

City staff said the administrative schedule change will create an escalator for repeated violations, make enforcement more consistent across violation types and help the city avoid costly receivership proceedings. "The broken window theory is a big deal," said Sergeant Bryce Milakovic of the Upland Police Department, who presented the proposed fine schedule. He told the council many nuisance violations now carry low initial penalties and often fail to produce compliance.

The council also adopted an ordinance establishing hardship waivers that may apply after the second citation on an infraction. Police Chief Marcela Blanco said the waiver process is intended to bring the city into compliance with state law. "It's just coming in compliance with what the state requires us to do," Blanco said, describing the finance director's role in verifying hardship claims.

Why it matters: Staff said the changes are designed both to speed compliance on quality-of-life issues such as landscaping, trash and property maintenance…