3 months ago
BYRON, CA - With Alameda County sheriff's deputies looking on, a construction crew began boarding up the doors and windows of nearly a dozen waterfront homes near the Delta town of Byron.
The order to condemn the ramshackle neighborhood ended a nearly year-long code enforcement struggle with the owner of the property.
"I've got nowhere to go," said Sandra Herrera, one of the evicted tenants. Herrera and others complained they were given little notice to move.
Property owner David Siddiq told News10 he was hoping for a last-minute stay and purposely chose not to notify tenants on the advice of his attorney.
Alameda County code enforcement officer Tona Henninger said none of what originally was a community of 17 dwellings was built with a permit. They lack a domestic water supply and septic system. Strong evidence indicates some toilets were flushed directly into the Delta, she said.
Siddiq said the county was selective in its enforcement, claiming that some homes in the neighboring Rivers End Marina also lack sanitary facilities. Siddiq said he would file a lawsuit against the county.
In the meantime, many of the renters were scrambling to find accomodations just days before Thanksgiving.
"I'm homeless. I don't have a place to go," said Ken Booty. "Me and the wife are both between jobs right now so it's going to be really tough for both of us," he said.
By Dave Marquis, dmarquis@news10.net
