Pubdate: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 Source: Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA) Copyright: 2013 The Press-Enterprise Company Contact: http://www.pe.com/localnews/opinion/letters_form.html Website: http://www.pe.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/830 Author: Sandra Stokley CITY WANTS TO STOP POT GROW HOUSES City leaders in Eastvale, one of the most affluent cities in the Inland area, want to light a fire under landlords whose renters set up pot-growing operations in residential neighborhoods. At least 18 grow houses had been discovered in the city since the beginning of the year, and police officials say other houses are still under investigation. The city already tracks foreclosed homes to make sure they don't become eyesores. One of the ideas now is to keep track of rental properties to make sure landlords are doing appropriate background checks on potential tenants and monitor the homes to make sure they aren't converted into indoor pot farms. Eastvale Councilman Adam Rush asked at the June 12 city council meeting for some sort of action to control the problem. Councilman Richard "Ric" Welch had expressed concerns at a previous meeting. "We're getting complaints from homeowners who are concerned about their families' safety," Rush said. Grow houses are so pervasive in Eastvale -- where rampant foreclosures have fostered a wave of houses for rent -- that the Riverside County Sheriff's Department issued a news release in April advising residents how to spot one. It is posted on Eastvale's official website. Tell-tale signs: windows covered from the inside, lights and televisions on timers, people hauling in commercial-grade electrical equipment, and no signs of normal residential occupation. Eastvale, a former dairy community turned suburban hub in northwest Riverside County, is a magnet for young, upscale, church-going families, many with a law enforcement background. Census data show the median income is $106,000 -- the highest of any city in western Riverside County. One of the city's most active organizations is Law Enforcement and Fire Fighters (known as L.E.A.F.F.), which has a primary goal of making Eastvale the safest city in the USA. Rush said he was more saddened than shocked by the number of grow houses found in Eastvale. "I don't want Eastvale to have the stigma of something like this," he said. PROFITABLE BUSINESS At one point this spring, it seemed that a sophisticated growing operation was discovered in Eastvale every week. The operators set up devices such as outlets, circuit-breaker panels and additional wiring to bypass electrical meters, resulting in the theft of tens of thousands of dollars worth of electricity. The operations create an increased risk of a fire breaking out, said Sgt. Andrew Elia, supervisor of the Special Enforcement Team that is investigating the grow houses in the city. They also install hydroponic setups with grow lights and watering systems inside the homes. Elia said the modifications typically cost about $40,000. Property owners are not held responsible for the grow houses unless they knowingly rent the house to someone for criminal activity. But after the home is processed by investigators, the city of Eastvale requires the homeowner to bring it back up to code. "In most of the cases we've investigated, the owners had no knowledge," Elia said. The information the growers put on rental agreements is fictitious, and there is no requirement that property owners run background checks. "That's up to the individual owners," he said. Elia said a 3,000-square-foot house can hold about 1,000 plants, which will be harvested and ready for sale in three to four months. Marijuana grown indoors is considered a higher-grade drug, which Elia estimated would fetch about $1,000 per pound on the market. NOT JUST EASTVALE A federal indictment handed down in April accused 11 men of turning Inland homes into indoor marijuana growing farms. Locations included six homes in Eastvale, three in Corona, one in Riverside and homes in Chino, Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga. The men all have pleaded not guilty. Eastvale's police chief, Capt. Danny Feltenberger, said the proliferation of grow houses in Eastvale is a result of several factors, including the stock of vacant or rental homes that are very spacious, and the city's proximity to freeways. "Eastvale is in a very conducive area to transport the drug," he said. Rush said he believes the problem is a byproduct of the housing crash that left homes in foreclosure and property owners walking away from their mortgages. "These properties are bought up by real estate investment firms and rented without proper background checks," Rush said. Many of the owners live out of state, Rush said. Elia confirmed that fact. Rush said he would like to see some type of rental registry, similar to the foreclosure registry established by the city, so that rental properties are on the city's radar. The registry keeps foreclosed homes from falling into disrepair by forcing the owners, including many banks, to provide ongoing maintenance and lawn care. "We'll know where these houses are and can monitor these situations closely," Rush said. Welch said he has been researching what other cities and communities have been doing to address the problem. In some cases, he said, cities have issued rental permits or licenses to keep track of rental homes. "In some locations, limits have been placed on how many permits are issued per block," Welch said. "Some of these efforts have been challenged in court." John Cavanaugh, Eastvale's city attorney, said any program developed has to balance the city's desire to tackle the problem with the rights of property owners. "It's a balancing act," Cavanaugh said. "We have to come up with a program that can withstand legal scrutiny." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom