Residents tell council of parking crunch and alleged mold, asbestos in rental units; city staff to inspect

Multiple residents used the public comment period to ask the City Council to address neighborhood parking, street cleanliness and alleged housing health hazards.

Anna Costello said the closure of university parking during construction has pushed students onto neighborhood streets and that tenants have received multiple parking citations. "There's not enough parkings here you know for all the students and tenants," Costello said, and she asked the city to consider converting one side of an alley to permanent neighborhood parking and to schedule a daytime street-cleaning so residents can move cars and allow staff to clean debris.

Brandy Rodriguez told the council her family was sick after living in a rental unit and said an inspection report listed "toxic molds, doctor botrytis, and asbestos." She said the household has limited resources after relocation and asked the city to hold property owners accountable. "I just want people to be held accountable because it's not fair to me and my family that are sick now," Rodriguez said.

In response, a staff member in community improvement operations (Miss Zavala) was identified as the contact for inspections, and the city manager said the complex "is being inspected early next month" and that staff would follow up with the speaker. The council also directed public works and housing staff to speak with residents who raised safety and maintenance concerns.

The meeting did not include a formal vote or ordinance on housing code enforcement; staff indicated follow-up inspections and casework would proceed under existing code enforcement procedures.