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INTERIM REPORT - NEIGHBORHOOD Following statements by PROBLEMS - MINNIE STREET City Manager Bruce Spragg; REFERRAL 24-77 - STAFF DIRECTED Orange County Health Department representatives, Dr. Morton Nelson and Dr. Thomas Albert; and Police Chief Raymond Davis, Staff was instructed to continue to take all legal means in conjunction with the County Health Department, to eliminate the conditions of prostitution, drugs, unhealthy environment due tO litter, abandoned vehicles and overcrowded housing in the Minnie-Standard Street area apartments, and to seek other avenues of consideration, such as ordinances or any other vehicle; to alleviate these conditions, and any future situations of a similar nature, on the motion of Councilman Brandt, seconded by Councilman Garthe, and carried 5:0 unanimously. By the pre- VlOUS motion the Council Referral No. 24-77 was deleted from the Summary. The City Manager provided Council with the Police Chief's written report on the subject, dated December 15, and stated that he would bring regular progress reports to Council. City Manager Spragg further stated that he and other Staff members had visited the apartments on Minnie and Standard Streets and found a number of problems, some of which are venereal disease, prostitution, drugs, overcrowding, illegal alien problems, litter, junk cars, fire hazards, building Code violations and others; that the most serious problem at the present time is the venereal disease epidemic and that the Health Department officials had been invited to give the Council first hand report on the current situation. Doctors Morton Nelson and Thomas Albert stated that the area has been identified as having a very serious epidemic of primary syphilis; that from September to December 17 there was an increase of ~56% over that same period in 1976; that assistance from the federal Health Department was requested and received; that the Health Department Staff has found the patients very cooperative with the plan to issue cards to the persons who are receiving treatment for the disease; that a health education effort is being made in the area by the Health Department; that it will take two or three months before the situation is cleared up; and that the Department will cooperate with the City effort in any way possible. City Manager Spragg stated that he plans to post "No Parking" signs on alternate sides of the alley for sweeping; that he will arrange for building and fire inspectors to visit the tenants and ask their cooperation to allow inspections'to specify measures to be taken to correct any substandard conditions. Police Chief Davis stated that the procedure for removing abandoned vehicles involves notice to the owners of the vehicles and certain required waiting time before removal can be accom- plished, but that steps are being taken to identify those vehicles which can be removed under the abandoned vehicle laws. He stated that a strong police effort in the area to make arrests for prostitution and drug violations at this time would frustrate efforts of the County Health Department to control the venereal disease epidemic; and that every effort will be made to coordinate police presence in the area with the other measures being taken to solve the problems in the area. (Agenda Item 58) CA 99.3 CA 47 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 463 DECEMBER 19, 1977