United Stand (Building Code Confrontation, California Style)

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

The people given notice on Mid-Mountain were not members of a commune, openly challenging accepted cultural patterns. They were individual landowners and taxpayers, quietly affirming the basic tradition of pioneer homesteading. Individual property owners could now receive categorical treatment by authorities. The task force gave its own rendition of the nocturnal knock-on-the-door tactics Americans believe to exist in Communist countries. Due Process was ignored by the task force which made no prior announcement that an inspection was pending. The homeowners were not informed of the appeals process. They were simply told to leave and demolish their homes.

The Mid-Mountain community immediately made contact with a Ukiah lawyer. He assured them that the codes were negotiable, and that the inspectors were flexible. Ten days later, the same lawyer was told by county inspectors that the houses could not be brought up to code and that demolition was the only recourse.

Letters arrived shortly after the task force appearance. The letters informed the people that their structures were in violation of Mendocino County building, zoning, and health codes. They were ordered to vacate and demolish their homes in 30 days or face formal action. The letters were signed by Chief Building Inspector Donald Uhr, who was to emerge as the most intractable and biased of the county personnel. (One couple who hadn't even been tagged received an Uhr letter.)

The principals were ordered to vacate and demolish their homes in mid-winter. Even California is wet and cold in the winter and, the code requirements notwithstanding, there were families living in the homes. To move their belongings down in traversable roads during the rainy season would be difficult to say the least.

The Mid-Mountain community was experienced in cooperative effort. Most of the land parcels were owned and developed by individual families, but the community jointly owned 20 acres on which a milling operation and an auto shop had been built. The taggings turned the people's energies away from homesteading and community development. Survival required that they organize against the destruction of their homes, which meant becoming political. An apartment was rented in Ukiah—eventually to serve as United Stand headquarters—where the people researched the codes, made important contacts, and sought solutions.

As the newly formed group began to gather information, it became obvious that task force enforcement was discriminant. The group discovered a prejudicial Grand Jury recommendation which had precipitated the creation of the task force:

Whereas, within the County of Mendocino there are numerous examples of persons who totally disregard building as well as health and sanitation laws; and

Whereas, for the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the County of Mendocino, it is essential that steps be taken immediately to combat the violators and to utilize all of the civil or criminal remedies;

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print