Homeowner cited $436 despite moving boat by city deadline
By Denzen Cortez
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STOCKTON, California (KCRA) — A Stockton homeowner who moved his boat to comply with a city code enforcement warning was surprised to receive a $436 citation days later, even though surveillance video showed the boat had been removed by the city’s deadline.
Javier Ortiz said he had parked his boat on a gravel area beside his home for about six years without any previous issues.
On Sept. 21, Ortiz received a warning from the Stockton Police Department’s Neighborhood Services Section identifying code violations, including parking the boat on an unimproved surface. The notice gave him until Oct. 4 to comply.
Rather than challenge the warning, Ortiz decided to move the boat.
“We decided to just opt out and not even argue it,” Ortiz told KCRA 3.
Security camera footage reviewed by KCRA 3 shows the boat being moved at 9:01 a.m. Oct. 4, the day of the compliance deadline.
But Ortiz later received an administrative citation dated Oct. 5, listing $436 in fees: $256 for an inspection and $180 for case processing.
The citation also gave Ortiz until Oct. 18 to remove the boat, even though he had already removed it.
The Oct. 5 citation was timestamped 9:18 a.m. Ortiz said he reviewed his home security footage and could not find video showing a city inspector coming to his property around that time.
The Stockton Police Department, which oversees code enforcement, told KCRA 3 that an inspector returned to the property Oct. 5 and confirmed the boat had been removed. The department said the inspection was documented with photographs.
Police did not specify the time of that inspection.
According to the department, an officer identified a clerical error involving an incorrect address and attempted to stop the citation from being sent. However, the notice was inadvertently mailed to Ortiz.
The department acknowledged the citation was issued in error.
Stockton police said the citation has since been voided, and all $436 in fees reversed. Ortiz does not owe the city any money.
The department also said it contacted the homeowner to explain what happened and apologize.
Ortiz said he hopes the city will be more careful when issuing citations.
“That the city can be a little more attentive to stuff like this, you know, a little more careful,” he said.
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