Code Compliance report shows uptick in cases

Code Compliance Supervisor David Hernandez shared the quarterly code compliance report with the council on Monday, highlighting code compliance stats from January through March 2024. 

Code compliance handled a total of 208 cases – 106 of which were from community service requests, and the remaining officer initiated – during the quarter, an increase of 49 from the last quarter. Of those cases, 33% were related to parking, making up the largest portion of violations, with animal violations following at 12.5% and graffiti at 12%. 

Of the 106 service requests, over 50 requests were related to abandoned vehicles, making up the largest portion of compliance service requests. 

Code Compliance also issued 436 parking tickets for 72-hour parking violations, compared to last quarter’s 498 tickets. 

Vice Mayor Natalia Alarcon asked questions about potential deterrents to graffiti in the community, specifically at the Santa Monica Creek. 

“It’s never-ending, and I believe Carpinteria Beautiful may come out and paint, which is amazing, but it just doesn’t stop,” Alarcon said. “So what are potential deterrents to graffiti, is it painting a mural there?” 

Hernandez said that increasing monitoring efforts – or as City Manager Michael Ramirez suggested, surveillance equipment – might help aid with the consistent graffiti problem.