(a) It is the purpose and intent of the city council of the city of La Puente, through the adoption of this chapter, to establish an abandoned and distressed residential property registration program as a mechanism to protect residential neighborhoods from becoming blighted through the lack of adequate maintenance and security of abandoned properties and to establish uniform and reasonable regulations to prevent immediate risk and detrimental effects associated with abandoned and distressed properties.
(b) The city council of the city of La Puente finds that abandoned and distressed residential properties pose risk to the public peace, health and safety of citizens in that the detrimental effects from the lack of security and maintenance of abandoned and distressed residential properties endangers children unprotected from unsecured pools and other attractive nuisances, lead to neighborhood decline, contribute to lower property values, discourage potential buyers from purchasing a home adjacent to or in the neighborhoods with abandoned and distressed residences, and further endangers neighborhoods affected by the resulting squatting, vandalism, burglaries and other crimes.
(c) The city council of the city of La Puente further finds that the city will incur additional costs in administering and implementing the abandoned and distressed residential properties registration program and that it is in the best interests of the public for the city to recover the said costs through imposition of a registration fee.
(Ord. 878 § 1 (part), 2008)