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Public urges DBI to delay assessment lien proceeding; commissioners request follow-up
Summary
A speaker told the Building Inspection Commission that enforcement of assessment liens and vacant‑building registration appeared inconsistent across properties and asked DBI to pause a pending lien for 214 State Street; DBI’s code enforcement said it will meet with the commenter and report back.
Kevin Chang, a member of the public, asked the Building Inspection Commission on May 15 to delay an assessment‑lien proceeding tied to 214 State Street and to ensure equal enforcement for similarly situated properties. Chang told commissioners that the April 16 hearing produced about $3,200 in fines plus roughly $500 in pending recording fees, and that he could find no evidence the property owner had received statutory notice of the hearing. "There was no initial billing statement issued nor the 5 day notice sent out," Chang said, adding that other properties (655 Alvarado Street, 49 Hopkins Avenue) received different treatment in the complaint data sheet.
Jerry Trantler, another commenter, asked the Commission to note the different time horizons for the properties: he said 214 State Street's violations date further back while 49 Hopkins and 55 Alvarado were within the past year. Georgia Shutish also offered broader comments about speculative redevelopment and demolition concerns but did not address the lien process directly.
Ed Sweeney, deputy director for Inspection Services, acknowledged the public concern and told the Commission that Code Enforcement would meet with Chang and review the case files; President McCarthy asked that the department provide an update to the Commission at a future meeting. "We're meeting with Mr. Chang tomorrow, code enforcement to go over his issues," Sweeney said.
The Commission did not take formal action to halt the lien; Chang specifically asked the Commission to "stop and delay this assessment lien for proceeding to the Board of Supervisors" and to allow time for the property owner to work with staff. The transcript records a staff commitment to meet Chang and to report back; it does not record a formal vote or binding delay of the Board of Supervisors process.
