Santa Rosa Board of Building Regulation and Appeals Meeting - July 17, 2026
Santa Rosa Board of Building Regulation and Appeals Meeting - July 17, 2026
The Board of Building Regulation and Appeals met on July 17, 2026, to elect a chair and vice chair and to hear an appeal from property owner Jeff Greenberg regarding a notice to vacate issued for 2371 Corby Avenue Unit 15. The board unanimously upheld the notice to vacate but denied the determination that the displaced tenants were eligible for relocation benefits.
Chair and Vice Chair Elections
- The board elected David Cooper as chair via a motion and second, with no opposition.
- The board elected Vice Chair Lawson (name inferred from later reference) via a motion and second, with no opposition.
Discussion Items: Appeal of Notice to Vacate at 2371 Corby Avenue Unit 15
- City Code Enforcement Presentation: Code Enforcement Officer (name not stated) testified that on February 5, 2026, a complaint was received about living conditions at the unit. An inspection on February 6, 2026, revealed substandard conditions including an inoperable wall heater with exposed wires (electrical hazard), 100% moisture readings on walls and windows, mold, cockroach infestation, and rodent feces. The unit was declared substandard under California Health and Safety Code sections 17920.3(a)(6) (lack of adequate heating), (a)(11) (dampness), and (a)(12) (infestation). The city recommended denying the appeal and upholding the notice to vacate, including the determination that tenants are eligible for relocation benefits.
- Appellant's Presentation: Attorney Michelle Zairobsky (Zaromsky Connor Sack) and property owner Jeff Greenberg (appearing via Zoom) argued that the tenants caused or substantially contributed to the conditions and therefore should not receive relocation benefits under Civil Code section 1797.5.4. Greenberg testified that he was unaware of the issues until the notice was served, that he fixed the heater in 10 minutes, and that windows were properly installed (no interior caulking required). He noted that the mold report attributed high humidity (82-87%) to tenant activities (overcrowding with 8-9 people, lack of cleaning, failure to ventilate). He also stated he offered alternative accommodations (hotel, Airbnb, other units) but tenants refused for 11 weeks and did not pay rent. He argued that the conditions were solely the tenants' fault and that relocation benefits would reward them for causing the problems.
- Board Questions: Board members asked about the property manager, maintenance logs, lease terms, and the relocation offers. The city attorney clarified that the board could rule on the notice to vacate and the relocation benefits separately. The relocation benefit amount was stated as $5,000.
Key Outcomes
- Motion 1: To uphold the Code Enforcement Division's notice to vacate for 2371 Corby Avenue Unit 15. Passed unanimously (all ayes, no nays).
- Motion 2: To deny the determination that the displaced tenants are eligible for relocation benefits. Passed (all ayes, no nays).
- The board declined to order any further monetary payment from the property owner to the tenants.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were submitted for this item.
The meeting was adjourned after the appeal hearing.
Meeting Transcript
And please stand up and um state your name for the record. You'll have three minutes for your comment and a countdown timer will alert you at the conclusion of that period. No public comments. We'll be moving to the elections. So the first one would be the electing of the chair. We'll ask for someone to make a motion for the nomination of chair and call for a second. One item has a second, you will call for a vote. So I guess I'm looking for nominations for chairman. I'm an eight, I nominate Mr. Cooper as chair. Second. Second. Okay. Further nominations or comments. Nominations are closed. Uh all in favor of David Cooper being the chairman. Okay. Now we're moving on to the vice chair elections. Do we have a nomination for vice chairman? Yeah, I'll nominate awesome. We have a second. Second. Further nominations. All in favor? All opposed? There we are. The next scheduled item is item number six, which are the appeal hearings. We're going to the first scheduled item. We'll have equal time as code enforcement to present to the board. On February 5th, 2016, the City of Santa Rosa Code Enforcement Division received a complaint regarding living conditions at 2371 Corby Avenue Unit 15. Excuse me. Yes, sir. Would you repeat? Was that 2016? 23, yeah, 2026. Oh, sorry. Did I say 16? I might have. February 5th, 2026. Thank you. I'll restate, I'll just restate. On February 5th, 2026, the City of Santa Rosa Code Enforcement Division received a complaint regarding living conditions at 2371 Corby Avenue Unit 15. The complaint was submitted in Spanish and was translated using Google Translate by one of our senior administrative assistants. The complainant alleged that four living conditions had existed since 2022 and have been reported to the individual responsible for managing the apartment complex. The complaint described excessive humidity, walls that were black with mold and green micro microbial growth, cockroach infestation, the presence of rats, and a lack of functioning heat. Additional allegations were included in the complaint. However, those issues were determined to be a civil matter outside the jurisdiction of code enforcement. On February 6, 2026, I was assigned to inspect the property in response to the complaint. Because the occupants were Spanish speaking, code enforcement technician Nancy Reyes Fernandez accompanied me to provide translation services during the inspection. Based on our inspection and photographs taken at the time, Unit 15 was just was determined.
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