BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The City of Bakersfield is continuing its efforts to solve issues around chronic nuisance properties around the city, thanks to the city's new Health and Receivership Program.
The program has been in the works for a couple of years, and it allows the city to take control of nuisance properties in Downtown Bakersfield so they can be renovated.
Bakersfield Vice Mayor and City Councilman Andrae Gonzales says the receivership program is another tool in the city's toolbox as it continues to revitalize the area.
Gonzales talks about the city's first renovated property.
"This property was once a chronic nuisance for the neighborhood directly surrounding this property, but also for the city who constantly had to respond to different issues," said Gonzales. "Whether it be code enforcement complaints, whether it be squatters, a fire, and it became a really dangerous structure, threatening the health and safety of all the residents in this area."
Just 6 months ago, the former chronic nuisance property located on 20th Street in the West Chester area was boarded up and abandoned-looking. After years of pushing for change, the property has been renovated into what Gonzales calls "an asset, and uplifting project for this neighborhood."
"We now have a safer and more secure property for the neighborhood, and a much more attractive property for this whole neighborhood," said Gonzales.
Gonzales says the West Chester area is the urban core of Bakersfield, and says the Health and Safety Receivership Program is a robust strategy for neighborhoods that have historic structures, with some properties he says have been in existence for nearly a century.
"We know that these structures are built to last, but they also have architectural uniqueness and things that you cannot replicate today," said Gonzales. "It's important that we preserve these buildings, and it's important that we protect these neighborhoods and we keep them safe and secure for the families who live there."
Gonzales adds that the receivership program is a combination of partnerships between the City Manager's Office, Code Enforcement, and the City Attorney's Office, who file a petition for receivership with the Kern County Superior Court.
"A judge is then appointed a receiver, granted the petition, and then the receiver created an action plan to upgrade the property," explained Gonzales. "The receiver then goes back to the court at the end of this month to make a final recommendation. The recommendation could be to lease the property long-term or to sell the property."
Gonzales says he believes this program is a step in the right direction, and that the city does plan to renovate more chronic nuisance properties in the near future.
