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Infested Canyon Country House Being Processed By The City

In May, a Canyon Country house was red tagged, deemed unsafe by the city for its reported rodent infestation, among other issues.


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Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies responded to numerous reports of criminals activity at the Bernina Avenue home in Santa Clarita.

Now, the home is going through the process of receivership in the courts, which means a judge will decide some time next year whether the house will be torn down or renovated by the city, or fixed up by the owner.

Once a judge makes the decision about receivership, “the city will either renovate or tear down the house — if it cannot be resolved by the owner,” said Gail Morgan, city of Santa Clarita spokeswoman.

The home on the 27500 block of Bernina Avenue was found to be in violation of numerous health and safety codes, as well as being a suspected home where illegal activity was undertaken repeatedly, according to officials.

Santa Clarita and Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials worked together to barricade anyone from entering a Canyon Country seven months ago to address concerns, officials said.

The 1,280-square-foot home had piles of garbage visible from the side yard.

While the owner is currently not living in the house, she has said she would like to get it cleaned up, Morgan said.

In addition to having several code violations, the home had approximately seven to 10 occupants illegally living on the premises, she said, which was stealing electricity in order to power the house.

City officials expect to learn the home’s fate some time next year.

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“This was a preventive measure taken by the city,” said Gail Morgan, city of Santa Clarita spokeswoman, adding that boarding up a home is an “unusual step.”

The concern was if the house was not barricaded, the illegal activity would continue, she said.

The owner of the home died recently, and the ownership of the home is “in a state of flux,” she said.

Consequently, the boards and locks will remain in place until the owner is identified and attains the proper permits to bring the premises up to code, she said.

“We’ve responded to numerous calls for service there,” said Deputy Josh Dubin of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. “It’s still an active investigation. The house has definitely been brought to our attention due to resident concerns, and we are actively in investigating with cooperation from the city.”

The windows were boarded up and there were numerous notices posted as of Tuesday morning.

The Bernina Avenue block where the house is located was also the subject of the city’s Extreme Neighborhood Makeover back in 2008.

The house was mentioned twice in the last three months in the Nixle crime reports, with an arrest for aggravated assault arrest taking place Feb. 27, and a probation parole check netting an  arrest for the possession of burglary tools and a probation violation.

“An aggravated assault occurred near the 27500 block of Bernina Avenue,” read the Nixle report. “Roommates were engaged in an altercation that became physical. The suspect punched and slammed the victim’s head into several walls.”

The violations listed include “unsafe structure,” and a “nuisance,” according to inspectors.

Crime Impact Team deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies made the arrest for assault.

The home is currently boarded up, and the only people who are able to access the premises are Los Angeles County Fire, Sheriff’s Department or Santa Clarita officials can enter the home, according to a note posted by the city’s Code Enforcement Department.

The violations listed include “unsafe structure,” and a “nuisance,” according to inspectors.

Nixle is a free Sheriff’s Department service offering weekly reports to residents regarding crime trends in eight crime zones covering the Santa Clarita Valley.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

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Infested Canyon Country House Being Processed By The City

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