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Resident scolds council over code enforcement and staffing during La Habra Heights public comment
Summary
Rick Brooks used public comment to criticize the council's management and alleged selective enforcement and long-running blight at a property on Greenview, urging the council to hire or appoint a city manager and take stronger action on code violations.
During public comment, Rick Brooks of Skyline Drive sharply criticized council leadership, raised long-running concerns about a blighted property at 672 Greenview and urged the council to address staffing and enforcement.
Brooks said volunteers had recently helped clean up trash and thanked them, then turned to criticizing the mayor and council: "...she's not the CEO of the city, and that she can't just go into city hall and bark orders. The chain of command is broken," he said, adding that the city has been without a permanent city manager for about a year and that staff morale and enforcement consistency have suffered. He urged the council to hire a city manager or appoint the interim and to resolve long-standing code-enforcement issues at the 672 Greenview property, which he said has been on the enforcement list for 14–15 years and is an eyesore.
Brooks also said he believed selective enforcement had depressed values on his Avocado Crest property and threatened legal action if the council did not act. His remarks drew audible, repeated interjections and applause from some attendees recorded in the transcript; no council action resulted immediately from the comment, although council members acknowledged the concerns later in committee and staff reports.
The council later proceeded with agenda business, including administrative and department reports about cleanup efforts, community events and public-safety updates.
