Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents tell Orange council code enforcement has ignored drainage that they say is damaging a neighbor’s home
Summary
During public comment, resident Darryl Green said runoff diverted by a neighbor’s PVC piping has saturated his neighbor’s foundation for six years and that city code enforcement photographed violations in April but took no action; homeowner Brian Simon corroborated the account. Council did not take action during the meeting.
Darrel Green, a resident of 1706 Arkansas Avenue, told the City of Orange council that a neighbor at 1704 Arkansas Avenue has for six years run PVC piping and stormwater onto the property of “Mr. Simon,” causing moisture that “keeps his foundation damp.” He cited “code section 11 0 8 6,” which he said prohibits diverting natural surface water that damages others' properties.
Green said he and others have raised the issue since 2020 and alleged that city code enforcement and the planning and development department “have completely failed us.” He told the council he personally witnessed Orange code enforcement on April 27 “using a tablet to take photos of these exact drainage violations,” and said the photos are in city files but that no enforcement followed. “Are only certain people above the law in Orange?” he asked the council.
Brian Simon, who identified himself as the owner of 1706, told the council he and family members have experienced harassment, described footage he said shows PVC piping diverting water onto his lot, and said vehicles parking in the ditch are worsening the problem. “If they'll just stop all the…nonsense, all this stupidity, I'll be okay with it,” Simon said.
Speakers asked the council to enforce municipal codes and to protect property values and public health concerns Green raised, including standing water that could breed mosquitoes. The council’s public record shows the comment period closed and the meeting proceeded to scheduled agenda items; no enforcement action, referral, or motion addressing the complaint was recorded during the meeting.
The council did not announce any immediate follow-up or order staff to investigate on the record. The issue was presented during the public-comment period; the meeting’s minutes and staff follow-up records would be the next source to check for any subsequent code‑enforcement action.
