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AGENDA ITEM NO. 7.
CITY OF HAWTHORNE City Council AGENDA BILL For the meeting of 06/10/2025 Originating Department: Public Works |
City Manager:
Department Head:
SUBJECT:
Public Hearing pursuant to section 8.14.130 of the Hawthorne Municipal Code regarding the weed abatement and cleaning charges or tax assessed against Union Pacific Railroad Company located at 610 South Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014 for the costs of abatement at 2000 block of railroad in the City of Hawthorne.
RECOMMENDED MOTION:
Staff recommends that the City Council conduct the public hearing and make the following determination:
- The attached assessed total charge of $60,070 is correct or needs to be modified.
- Authorize a lien in the said amount against Union Pacific Railroad Company.
- The attached 2025 Weed Abatement Report, marked Exhibit “A,” is hereby confirmed and approved, and that the County Tax Collector is hereby authorized to collect the amount of assessments as the same appear on the attached roll.
DISCUSSION:
The overgrown vegetation and trash along the 2000 block of the railroads created blight and sanitation issues. Chapter 8.14 of the Hawthorne Municipal Code (HMC) provides a procedure for the abatement of such conditions, which also includes a process of conducting a hearing to hear the protests by the involved property owner before the cost of the clean-up is assessed against the owner in the form of a lien on the property.
The staff began noticing Union Pacific Railroad Company (Union Pacific) of the overgrown weed and other blighted condition along the railroads commencing in early May. After hearing no response from Union Pacific, pursuant to section 8.14.080 of HMC, the staff had the conditions abated incurring $60,070 in costs. The cost was filed with the city clerk’s office and thereafter a Notice of a public hearing was provided for Union Pacific to protest the cost at this hearing. The City Clerk also gave notice of the hearing and the amount of verified expenses.
In the regularly scheduled city council meeting of May 13, 2025, the council approved Resolution No. 8524 that authorized the city to clean the stated areas of the railroad and to conduct a hearing on June 10, 2025
The staff began noticing Union Pacific Railroad Company (Union Pacific) of the overgrown weed and other blighted condition along the railroads commencing in early May. After hearing no response from Union Pacific, pursuant to section 8.14.080 of HMC, the staff had the conditions abated incurring $60,070 in costs. The cost was filed with the city clerk’s office and thereafter a Notice of a public hearing was provided for Union Pacific to protest the cost at this hearing. The City Clerk also gave notice of the hearing and the amount of verified expenses.
In the regularly scheduled city council meeting of May 13, 2025, the council approved Resolution No. 8524 that authorized the city to clean the stated areas of the railroad and to conduct a hearing on June 10, 2025
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN:
None
FISCAL IMPACT:
None. The assessed amount is off-set to the cost to the city for the abatement.
NOTICING PROCEDURE:
Pursuant to HMC sections 8.14.100 and 8.14.120, Notice of Public Hearing and the Notice of Amount of Verified Expenses were mailed to the property owner and posted at three different locations in the City.