Code Enforcement Storefronts

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

In sizable counties that cover a large geographic territory such as San Diego County, citizens can sometimes feel that their government is remote, removed or even indifferent. This can be particularly true in disciplines like Code Enforcement, which often deals with local disputes that arise among neighbors over boundary lines, litter, land uses and other issues that strike citizens on a personal level. Recognizing this, San Diego County’s Code Enforcement group opened four storefront locations in back county areas in fiscal year 2008-2009, borrowing or sharing space in already existing facilities with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, other law enforcement agencies and Cal Fire. The storefronts were located in communities that had the highest calls for service. The goal was to bring county services directly to the communities, at little additional cost to taxpayers, giving neighbors a place where they could sit and talk face-to-face with a professional county representative. These storefronts have spurred local forums where county staff and these local communities can directly work together to solve neighborhood issues. Currently, the storefronts have averaged 32 visits each month in the 21 months the centers have been operational.