21.72.010 Statement of need.
   (a)   Property values and the general welfare of the community are founded, in part, upon the appearance and maintenance of private property. Within La Mirada, owners and occupants of some properties have permitted visual blight, including but not limited to deteriorated buildings, overgrowth of vegetation, damaged and deteriorated fencing and other structures, and the accumulation of broken or discarded property. The city finds that the existence of such conditions is injurious to the public health, safety, and general welfare of residents of and visitors to La Mirada, and contributes to the deterioration of residential and nonresidential areas.
   (b)   Abatement of these conditions is in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of La Mirada. A city-wide minimum set of standards for property maintenance can provide benefits to the community that can protect the livability, appearance, and social and economic stability of La Mirada; contribute to the appreciation of property values; improve the physical character of residential, commercial and industrial zones; attract capital investors; increase commercial trade and industrial productivity; and increase in the tax base of the city. Minimum property maintenance standards can also benefit the community by reducing the risks to health, safety, and general welfare that exist due to deterioration, dilapidation, and blight.
   (c)   The uses and abuses of property described in this chapter and the property maintenance standards provided herein relate to the proper exercise of police power to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public.
(Ord. 612 Exhibit A (part), 2008).