Council declares 6 Saddleback Road a public nuisance, gives homeowner 30 days to abate

Rolling Hills City Council on June 22 adopted a resolution declaring the property at 6 Saddleback Road a public nuisance and ordered abatement if the owner does not correct identified code violations within 30 days.

Benjamin Johnson, the city's planning technician and code compliance officer, outlined the enforcement history: "The purpose of tonight's hearing is for staff to present information on alleged nuisances at 6 Saddleback Road" and said staff had documented a dilapidated fence, a portable toilet on the property since at least December, and prior notices mailed in February and March before a final notice and order to abate was sent on June 5. He told council that, if the resolution is adopted and the 30 days pass without satisfactory progress, the city will step in, abate the nuisance and bill the homeowner.

Council members questioned the legal threshold for a "public nuisance," noting municipal code language about anything "injurious to health, safety, or property stability." Staff explained the code's catch-all language can treat repeated or glaring code violations as nuisances and cited the city's prior mailings and attached photos as evidence. No members of the public spoke on the item.

Councilmember (speaker 5) moved to adopt the resolution while directing staff to return with an update approximately 30 days later; a second was recorded and the motion passed on a unanimous voice vote of members present. Staff said that if the property is not abated the city will recover costs by billing the homeowner and, if necessary, placing a lien on the property.