Resident alleges rights violations after Placentia receivership action

During oral communications, resident John Abraham described a June 11, 2024 enforcement action at his property at 331 North Bradford Avenue and accused the city of trampling constitutional rights and outsourcing enforcement to private receivers and attorneys who profit from property seizures. Abraham said code enforcement and police entered with a warrant that was not shown, broke down doors and publicly paraded tenants onto the street, which he called degrading and traumatizing for elderly tenants and veterans.

Abraham said his family has owned the property for 71 years and urged the council to remove his home from receivership immediately and return possession to the rightful owners. He framed the issue as a lack of transparency and empathy in the receivership process and said his household is "not the problem" and that the process is "broken." He concluded by asking the council to "stop the harm" and to restore the property. Council members later referenced the receivership process during council comments, noting that receiverships follow a detailed legal process and are used conservatively to address blight.

The council response during member comments emphasized that receiverships in Placentia follow a legal process and that staff and council encourage reviewing both sides of such cases.