Santa Ana : Move to Name Landlord to Housing Panel Fails

The nomination of landlord Paul Sepulveda to the city’s Housing Advisory Commission died quietly in City Council on Monday, when there was no second to the motion, made by Councilman John Acosta.

The nomination had raised eyebrows because Sepulveda was the first property owner to face criminal charges in the city’s crackdown on slum housing last year.

Besides a 19-count criminal complaint, the city also initiated civil proceedings against Sepulveda to force him to repair and clean up two dilapidated dwellings just south of the Civic Center, at Birch and Walnut streets.

In September, Sepulveda and his wife pleaded no contest to a single count of failing to obey the order of a building official. They were ordered to pay $250 fines and $175 in court costs and to give $10 to the victim-witness fund. The other 18 counts were dropped.

Also last summer, city inspectors issued a citation involving property owned by Sepulveda and former Planning Commissioner Fred V. Munoz, charging that the house on the lot had been illegally divided into two units, with additional dwellings in the basement and a backyard camper.

Sepulveda served for several years on the Orange County Housing Commission, beginning in 1978.