SAN FERNANDO : Home Again Labeled a Public Nuisance

For the second time in two years, the San Fernando Planning Commission has declared the home of Eulalia Bernal a public nuisance, giving her until Sept. 2 to clean up rubbish and discarded junk piled in her back yard.

Bernal, a 63-year-old parts assembler who lives alone in the 1100 block of Coronel Street, called the commission’s action unfair.

“They tell me I have to have everything cleaned up. But how can I throw away the clothes of my son?” said Bernal on Wednesday. “It’s not right.”

After holding a hearing Tuesday, commissioners agreed with the recommendation of the city’s community preservation officer that the trash poses a fire hazard. They also asked city staff to look into programs elsewhere that recover the costs of repeat enforcement actions from residents.

“My concern is, is this going to be a yearly thing?” said Commissioner Helen Arriola.

Sarah Magana Withers, who enforces code regulations for the city, recommended that the home be declared a nuisance even though Bernal had already started cleaning up the property. On Wednesday, Bernal said she had cleared her property of everything except cartons of clothes belonging to her son and bottles for recycling.

The home was first declared a public nuisance in February, 1992. At the time, several members of the Kiwanis Club helped Bernal clean it up. Early this year, the city started receiving renewed complaints about the growing heap of debris in Bernal’s back yard, including inoperable machines and tools and broken household furnishings.

If the yard is not cleaned up within 30 days, the city will perform the work and place a lien on the property.