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Residents urge council to reverse paid magistrate model for code enforcement
Summary
Several speakers, including a former municipal magistrate and neighborhood advocates, urged the City Council to reject proposed changes to the city's code‑enforcement magistrate process (item 55). They said converting volunteer citizen magistrates to paid, city‑appointed magistrates has reduced empathy for low‑income respondents, increased fines,
A string of public commentators urged the City Council to deny or revise proposed changes to the city's code‑enforcement magistrate process, arguing that the new model — which shifts from volunteer citizen magistrates to paid, city‑appointed magistrates — reduces citizen voice and can increase fines that disproportionately affect low‑income residents.
Former municipal magistrate Richard Rivas testified that the new…
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