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CODE ENFORCEMENT
Lathrop may disagree with grand jury
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JASON CAMPBELL
Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
Published: Sep 10, 2018, 8:12 AM

The San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury took issue back in June with the way that the City of Lathrop handles its code enforcement operation.

And Lathrop city staff is now recommending that the council respectfully disagree with the recommendations of the grand jury in writing in response to claims that the city doesn’t have an ethics policy for its elected officials, that the city has taken limited code enforcement action to thwart illegal truck parking, that the city doesn’t have a budgeted position for code enforcement and that the city doesn’t have any appeals process for those who have been cited for code enforcement violations.

According to the staff report prepared for the council in advance of their next business meeting tonight  – taking place at Lathrop City Hall, located at 390 Towne Centre Drive – staff is recommending that the council “respectfully disagree” with each of the four findings, some of which have already been responded to by Lathrop City Attorney Salvador Navarrete.

The city, according to the report, has initiated 3,380 new code enforcement cases in the last six years – with 103 of them being for illegal truck parking. In just the last two years, code enforcement has initiated 1,149 new cases, 20 of which were for illegal truck parking – numbers that the city feels proves that they have already taken steps to address the issues that were pointed out in the grand jury report.

“The City of Lathrop Code Compliance Division exercises all powers vested in the City in response to blight and public safety issues, including illegal parking of commercial vehicles,” reads the suggested response by the council, which then goes on to detail the number of new cases that have been initiated over the last six years. “The City of Lathrop does in fact take consistent code enforcement action on the illegal truck parking of commercial trucks.”

And a big part of that recent code enforcement success is thanks to the City of Lathrop’s former police chief that came back after retirement to help the city clear a backlog of cases.

The City of Lathrop had been utilizing the services of retired Lathrop Police Chief Danelle Hohe on a contract basis through October of 2017. Her expertise with Lathrop’s municipal code and her knowledge of the community had allowed her to clear the significant backlog of complaints. In the first nine months prior to her contract, the city had cleared 392 code enforcement cases while Hohe managed to clear 152 by herself in just over three months’ time – putting her on track to clear more than 500 cases through the end of her contract. Her position, which was approved up to $50,000, was paid for out of the savings from the unfilled code enforcement supervisor position, which was filled on a full-time basis back in March.

The city also feels that it already ensures that elected officials observe all of the necessary state and federal ethics laws, in addition to the city council’s handbook which governs the ethical behavior of council members.

The California Penal Code requires that the council respond to the findings when they’re made public by the grand jury, giving them the option to either agree or disagree wholly or in part with the finding – requiring a detailed written explanation as to which sections the city disagrees with.

The Lathrop City Council typically meets on the second Monday of every month at Lathrop City Hall – located at 390 Towne Centre Drive in Lathrop – at 7 p.m. For additional information, or to obtain a copy of the agenda or the supporting documentation, visit the City of Lathrop’s website at www.ci.lathrop.ca.us.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.

California Respects the Power of Your Vote
SPONSORED CONTENT
California Voting
Published: Dec 10, 2024, 5:50 PM

By Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., California Secretary of State  

Californians can confidently claim this: California has made more significant reforms to our election laws and expanded voting rights than any other state.  

The relevance of this accomplishment deepens as we prepare to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act next year. This landmark legislation began to undo our country’s long history of voter suppression, intimidation, and disenfranchisement that far too many Americans experienced at the polls for decades.  

My own parents, who were sharecroppers, were denied their right to vote in the Jim Crow era South. Before moving to Los Angeles from Hope, Arkansas, my parents, David and Mildred Nash, could not vote. My father was an adult with six children before he registered to vote and was only able to exercise that constitutional right for the first time here in California. 

As California Secretary of State, I do not take the progress we have made over the years lightly. My staff and I hold sacred the obligation to ensure that our elections are safe, free, fair, and accessible to all. Therefore, before certifying the results for this year’s election on Dec. 13, we have taken a number of steps to ensure that every vote is counted. We have also made sure that our ballot counting process is credible and free from interference.  

To meet that deadline without a hitch, California requires elections officials in all 58 counties to turn in their official results by a certain date. This year, that date was Dec. 6.  

By law, every eligible voter in our state receives a vote-by-mail ballot. This ensures all registered voters can exercise their right to vote.

Whether you placed your ballot in a designated drop-off box, voted by mail, or cast your ballot at a polling center, votes are safe and secure. And we allow voters to sign up to receive text message, email, or voice call notifications about the status of their own ballots by using the Where’s My Ballot? tool. 

The ballots of Californians who voted by mail are also protected. The United States Postal Service partners with the State to make sure ballots are delivered on time. All mailed-in ballots are sent by First Class mail with a postage paid envelope provided to every eligible registered voter.  

Election Security is our number one priority. That’s why my office designed and implemented a program to back up that commitment.  

Additionally, California takes preventive actions to make sure our voting technology keeps our elections safe and protects everyone’s votes.

For example, county voting systems are not connected to the internet, which protects them from cyberthreats. The State also performs regular and rigorous testing to make sure the voting systems are working optimally, and only authorized personnel are granted access.

Staff members are also given phishing and cybersecurity training.  

VoteCal, the state’s centralized voter registration system, is also key. The system is regularly updated, and it is used as a resource for counties to verify voter signatures.

California also provides security at all counting locations and makes sure ballot drop-off boxes are secured and monitored.  

And all election processes are open to observation during specified hours.  

In my role as Secretary of State of California, there is nothing more important to me than defending our democracy. I am committed to safeguarding voting rights, and to leading our state in upholding the highest democratic standards by implementing policies and practices that Californians and all Americans can trust and look to for instruction and hope.  

You can contact the California Office of the Secretary of State at 1-800-345-Vote or elections@sos.ca.gov with inquiries or to report suspected incidents or irregularities. Additional information can be found at www.sos.ca.gov and the office’s social media platforms:  

Instagram: @californiasos_ 

Facebook: Facebook.com/CaliforniaSOS 

X: @CASOSVote