By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council voted to reject an Antelope Road property owner’s appeal and uphold an order to abate during a special City Council meeting held Wednesday.
The 1.7-acre property located at 7398 Antelope Rd,, owned by Richard Mattarolo since September 2019, has been a persistent code enforcement issue since June 2021, according to the city’s Code Enforcement Unit, which cited multiple code violations with photo evidence during the appeal hearing. All photos and other evidence of inspections are included in the City Council agenda packet.
The property has accrued $18,909 in unpaid fines and was declared a public nuisance during an administrative hearing on March 11 of this year with an abatement deadline of May 8.
During the first hearing in March, Mattarolo testified that he “disagrees with the City’s ordinances and believes they infringe upon his constitutional rights and his ability to use his property,” the city staff report states.
“Mattarolo also testified that he made efforts toward compliance and expressed concerns regarding being billed despite those efforts,” the city said.
Mattarolo filed an appeal on April 15 in writing to contest the administrative hearing decision to uphold an order to abate. Mattarolo’s appeal, in which he states that the code violations infringe upon his constitutional rights and violate multiple constitutional amendments, can be read in its entirety in the agenda packet here.
During the appeal hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 26, Code Enforcement, along with other residents, spoke about the negative impact of the multiple code violations occurring on the property.
Some of the negative neighborhood impacts that were discussed included the community impact, where residents nearby have complained about the property as a “longstanding, highly visible eyesore,” which creates a perception of neglect.
Additionally, the accumulation of weeds, debris, trash, and multiple commercial and recreational vehicles, especially inoperable ones parked on unlawful surfaces, “detracts from the neighborhood’s aesthetic character, potentially reducing adjacent property values,” the city states.
Public commenters emphasized the hazardous health risks and fire danger that multiple vehicles parked on grass pose, including soil contamination. Resident Albert Fox, who spoke during public comment, noted that the property is adjacent to a mobile home park, home to many elderly residents.
Following the presentation of evidence, Mattarolo contested that he works for an engineering contractor and reasoned he should have the ability to store construction equipment and machinery, including construction vehicles, on his property, as well as collector cars because he “pays taxes on [the property].”
Mattarolo also said that he has allegedly complained to Federal Emergency Management Agency officials when they were last in town regarding his property being labeled as a floodplain.
According to photos shared at the appeal hearing Wednesday, a portion of his property is designated as a 100-year floodplain, and a smaller portion has also been designated as a 500-year floodplain.
“I spend an endless amount of time cleaning,” Mattarolo said, adding that Code Enforcement’s targeting of his property for code violations is “not fair” when they should be targeting other individuals behaving recklessly with vehicles, or combat growing homelessness.
“I’ve been driving past your property for years, and I haven’t seen much change. What if we had hundreds of these properties being used in this way?” Councilmember Tim Schaefer said following hearing testimony from Code Enforcement and rebuttal arguments from Mattarolo.
Schaefer also said that because the property had been out of compliance for three years, it was time to clean things up, at which point the property owner began to interrupt the city council discussion.
“I have resolved all the issues,” Mattarolo argued, also continuing to do so after the Citrus Heights city manager asked him not to engage in back-and-forth dialogue.
“I am just embarrassed as all hell to live in this city when I look at your property,” City Councilmember Jayna Karpinski-Costa said, citing multiple concerns mentioned by public commentors earlier in the meeting.
Mattarolo interjected a second time, interrupting Karpinski-Costa. Mayor MariJane Lopez-Taff reminded him not to engage in back-and-forth dialogue.
At the end of the meeting, Mattarolo said, “I’m getting the same treatment; you guys are not listening to me,” at which point City Attorney Ryan Jones adjourned the meeting. Following adjournment, Mattarolo threatened to sue by taking the case to the California Supreme Court.
With the City Council’s unanimous vote to reject Mattarolo’s appeal, Mattarolo will now have 30 days to correct the violations before the city intervenes, officials said during the appeal hearing.
Noncompliance will trigger abatement by the city, including vehicle towing and destruction, removal of trash and debris, and removal of any non-permitted structures built within a flood zone, along with a property lien, per CHMC 50-116.
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