Rowdy tenants throughout San Diego may be soon feeling the sting of a $1,000 fine.
At the Land Use and Housing Committee meeting yesterday, the committee voted unanimously to extend the administrative citations for noise violations, which began as a pilot program in Mid-City, to all of San Diego.
While the six-month trial period was set to end on Nov. 19 and go before the council for review, Mayor Jerry Sanders bypassed this process, issuing an executive order that allowed the committee to take immediate action yesterday.
Councilmember Jim Madaffer made the motion under the conditions that a report of the program's cost be heard Nov. 19 by the full City Council and that LUH re-visit the program in six months.
The fine will be extended to include the city's top three problem areas, beginning with the Northern Division, which includes Pacific Beach. The Mission Valley area will follow.
Capt. Guy Swanger of the Mid-City police division, who oversees the program, said in two weeks the department could begin to train officers in these areas on how it works.
Swanger said the police department would work with community groups, real estate and property owners and universities in the areas - University of San Diego and University of California, San Diego - to educate the community about the fine.
It would take about six months to train officers and "work out all the bugs," Swanger said.
The College Area Community Council brought its recommended citation changes to the committee, which includes an option for volunteer work in place of the fine.
Some council members and city staff said this would not work because the program is too costly.
Jeremy Erlich, Associated Students vice president of external affairs and CACC chair, called the decision a "brick wall" for communications between students and community members in these areas.
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