State building standards.

(1) Existing law, the State Housing Law, establishes statewide construction and occupancy standards for buildings used for human habitation. Existing law requires, for those purposes, that any building, including any dwelling unit, be deemed to be a substandard building when a health officer determines that any one of specified listed conditions exists to the extent that it endangers the life, limb, health, property, safety, or welfare of the public or its occupants. This bill would instead specify that a building be deemed a substandard building when a health officer determines that any of those listed conditions exist to the extent that it endangers the life, limb, health, property, safety, or welfare of the occupants of the building, nearby residents, or the public. The bill would clarify that the term "substandard building" for purposes of the State Housing Law means a residential building or any other building or portion thereof that is deemed to be substandard pursuant to the provisions described above, and would clarify that standard applies regardless of the zoning designation or approved use of the building. The bill would make conforming changes to this effect. By imposing new inspection requirements on local entities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The State Housing Law provides for relocation assistance to a tenant displaced from a residential rental unit as a result of an order to vacate by a local enforcement agency under specified conditions. This bill would define the term "residential rental unit" for those purposes to mean any unit rented by a tenant for human habitation that is located in a building or portion thereof that is deemed or found to be a substandard building. (3) The State Housing Law requires the housing or building department or, if there is no building department, the health department, of every city or county or a specified environmental agency to enforce within its jurisdiction all of the State Housing Law, the building standards published in the California Building Standards Code, and other specified rules and regulations. If there is a violation of these provisions or any order or notice that gives a reasonable time to correct that violation, or if a nuisance exists, an enforcement agency is required, after 30 days' notice to abate the nuisance, to institute appropriate action or proceeding to prevent, restrain, correct, or abate the violation or nuisance. This bill would state that violations of municipal codes are included within these provisions. The bill would define the term "petition" for those purposes to include a complaint. If an enforcement agency determines that a building or portion thereof is substandard under these provisions based solely on the building or portion thereof being illegally occupied, then the bill would prohibit the enforcement agency from commencing proceedings to abate the violation by repair if specified conditions are met, including that the owner declares under penalty of perjury that the occupant is not a legal tenant. By expanding the crime of perjury, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) The State Housing Law authorizes the enforcement agency, a tenant, or tenant association or organization to seek, and the court to order, the appointment of a receiver for the substandard building if the owner of a property with substandard conditions fails to comply within a reasonable time period with the terms of a specified order or notice to repair or abate a violation that results in a substantial endangerment of the health and safety of residents or the public. Existing law authorizes the court to retain jurisdiction for up to 18 months after discharging the receiver. This bill would specify that the appointment of a receiver for the substandard building pursuant to another provision of law does not prevent an enforcement agency from seeking, or the court from appointing or replacing, a receiver pursuant to these provisions. The bill would authorize the court to extend the 18-month time period for retaining jurisdiction to ensure continuing compliance. The bill would provide that an appeal of a court order or judgment issued pursuant to this article shall not stay proceedings upon the order or judgment, absent an extraordinary writ being issued by the appropriate appeals court upon a properly filed petition, as defined. (5) Under the State Housing Law, a person who obtains an ownership interest in property after the recording of a notice of pendency of an action or proceeding brought pursuant to the State Housing Law with respect to the property or a notice of a violation of that law, and if there is no withdrawal or expungement of the notice, is subject to the order to correct a violation and any other recorded notice of a violation of the State Housing Law. This bill would specify that a person described above is subject to any costs and fees of any receiver appointed or enforcement agency, as applicable. (6) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for specified reasons.