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VISTA: City aims home-buying program at law enforcement
Proponents hope assistance will put more cops on streets
By GIG CONAUGHTON - Staff Writer | ∞
VISTA ---- City leaders have tweaked Vista's first-time home-buyers program, saying they hope to put more police officers and sheriff's deputies on city streets ---- and keep criminals off them.
Vista council members voted recently to expand a down payment loan program that had been reserved for low-income families, earning about $46,000 a year, to moderate-income families earning up to $80,000 a year, and to increase the maximum loan amounts from $40,000 to $60,000.
They also decided to set aside half of those loans for law enforcement families ---- an action that federal and housing officials said was legal, but which at last least one Vista resident said was unfair.
City officials said the idea was to make the city safer by encouraging more police and sheriff's deputies to move to Vista. Seeing a patrol car parked in a neighborhood could deter crime, said Bill Rawlings, Vista's redevelopment director.
"The goal is to send a chill down the spine of potential perpetrators," he said.
Still, one Vista resident questioned whether it was fair to give law enforcement officers a better shot at the loans.
"It's a slap in the face to people who I know who want to buy homes," said longtime City Council watchdog Chuck Rabel. "Where do you draw the line? Why not offer (loans) to firefighters, or nurses? Where does it end?"
Not new
The idea of trying to deter crime by helping peace officers move into troubled neighborhoods is not a new one. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development created a program in 1997 called "the Officer Next Door" that allowed police and sheriff's deputies to buy foreclosed homes in distressed neighborhoods for 57 percent of the sale price; the government paid the rest.
The program was renamed the "Good Neighbor Next Door Program" in 2006 and expanded to include firefighters, teachers, and emergency medical responders. The program has rarely been used in California in the last several years, because of the high cost of real estate.
Targeting certain types of public servants for housing assistance is fair and legal, officials said.
Lemar Wooley, a spokesman for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said the federal fair housing act limits discrimination cases to issues of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status and disability. Under that definition, the "Good Neighbor" program is not discriminatory, federal and local officials said.
Patrick Whitnell, general counsel for the League of California Cities, said he knows of no other cities in the state developing a program like Vista's, but said he didn't think Vista would have legal problems unless city officials discriminated against applicants because of their race, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.
Fighting crime?
Local and federal officials said getting law enforcement officials to move into neighborhoods can help deter crime, although most of the data they cited were anecdotal.
A 2004 study conducted for the Department of Housing and Urban Development stated that crime rates in Rialto ---- a city in San Bernardino County ---- dropped when officers bought homes there. But the same study said crime rates didn't change in Spokane, Wash., when officers moved into neighborhoods there.
Still, local officials said that if police officers live in Vista, criminals would think twice about being on the streets.
"I can't give you actual statistics, said San Diego County sheriff's Capt. Tim Curran, who took command of Vista's station in May. "But in my 19 years of being a deputy sheriff, if you (are a criminal) and find a cop parked on your block, you're certainly going to go somewhere else."
Helping out
Under the terms of Vista's program, qualifying applicants are given a loan to help buy a house. They don't have to pay back the money back until they sell the house, however, they must repay the loan immediately if they stop living in the home or rent it out.
Vista has $480,000 in the program this year, and hopes to use half that money to make at least four loans to law enforcement families.
Ernie Carrillo, president of the Deputy Sheriff's Association of San Diego County, said he expected that a lot of younger deputies would meet the $80,000-a-year income limit.
"I have 27 years of experience," he said. "And my base salary is $83,000."
Curran applauded the city's action, saying it could definitely help younger officers and the community.
"I can tell you that the younger guys, it's hard coming up with that down payment," Curran said. "This seems to be something that would be very favorable to them."
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battlemaiden wrote on Jul 4, 2008 6:43 PM:What a terrific, positive action step to assist our dedicated police officers to become actual homeowners. We expect them to give 110% every day to protect us and our homes, yet some scoff at the idea that they may actually receive an opportunity to become a home owner. You think they would be honored to have one of San Diego's finest as a neighbor! KUDOS to the Vista government officials for recognizing their value to our city!
Jonas wrote on Jul 4, 2008 8:20 PM:I think this is a great idea. Just as long they live in their home and not try and make a profit off thier new home.
Suzi wrote on Jul 5, 2008 5:47 AM:There are 4 houses coming up for purchase due to forclosure on our street how about a few Deputies and their families moving in.
JDub wrote on Jul 5, 2008 8:29 AM:Ever the heretic, let me add my 2 cents worth...Cops buying homes as a deterrent to crime, on the surface it's not a bad idea. How many cops will want to live in the Townsite neighborhood where the deterrent effect may be useful versus buying condos or houses in Shadowridge?
And, if Vista has to so thoroughly scrutinize discrimination law to make sure that it is slicing this policy sufficiently narrowly to be in "technical" compliance, maybe there's a bit of a problem. It may not be preferential treatment "de jure" but it probably is "de facto".
I would far prefer assistance to lower income families working to achieve the American dream of home ownership--a leg up to a hard working, saving family. In my neighborhood, I see loving, caring Hispanic families of limited means every day who, I'm sure, would love to own their own home.
Vista doesn't have its own police department, but it used to be that law enforcement and other local officials were required to live in the municipality that employed them (I wonder how many City Hall employees in Vista actually live in Vista). Quite frankly, I think this is another City of Vista idea which is ill conceived and which is, most certainly, contrary to what this particular fund in the City's treasury was set up to accomplish.
PoPo wrote on Jul 5, 2008 8:58 AM:Chuck Rabel, if you want to see Vista stay entrenched in gang warfare, drugs and poverty then you keep promoting your business as usual approach. Keep defending the same who are the very plague to your community which causes Vista to remain in a time warp. While other cities around Vista continue to grow into desirable places to live, Vista continues to attract those less desirables.
I got an idea; let’s just build another handball park so the parolees feel welcome. Vista is a dump!! I would be begging for something to be done if I was a member of that community. Cops moving into the neighborhood may not do much...but at least its a start. However, most of the upstanding folks in the Santa Fe corridore are terrified to report any crime so I am sure a few coppers who would like nothing better than to put an end to crime in the area they live could be nothing but possitive.
LE GUY wrote on Jul 5, 2008 9:45 AM:Ya, this is smart program that cops want to do. Raise your family in the middle of a bunch of criminals, thats a joke. After spending a shift in the middle of a war zone you want to return from work and live in it? Not to mention what cop would let their kids run down the street to little Johnies house when they know the parents are criminals or drug abusers.
Bo wrote on Jul 5, 2008 10:49 AM:Not going to happen..the last thing a Cop wants to do is live in the gang infested neighborhood they work in.
Tim wrote on Jul 5, 2008 10:49 AM:What a complete joke. Notice how everyone talks about base salaries. Who in law enforcement makes base salaries? They are a bunch of scam artists that game the system to clean up with exhorbitant amounts of overtime at the expense of taxpayers.
Artsyrat wrote on Jul 5, 2008 12:19 PM:My friend and neighbor is a Deputy Sheriff, he works in another San Diego county community. He and his wife do not want anyone to know that he is a deputy. Why???? Because of the safety factor. He may become a target in this fine city we call Vista. I agree!
I would commend the city for attempting to find solutions to the crime here and also for making it less expensive for a law enforcement officer to buy a home, however, I doubt very much that a deputy would want to live in a neighborhood affected by so much crime, drugs, burglaries, vehicle theft, did I mention drugs, drugs drugs. Vista is over taken by drugs. Let's deal with that issue, put some major bucks into fighting and preventing the crime, get more detectives, more deputies working here verses deputies living here.
The deputies would probably just move to Shadowridge anyway.
Our neighborhood is hard core on crime prevention, we are a group of citizens who are involved in our area and are making a total difference through crime prevention, friendship, communication, team work, neighborhood cleanups and gutts.
We support and thank our Vista Sheriff for hard work well done. We just need more of them.
Code Red wrote on Jul 5, 2008 12:58 PM:cops don't want to move into gang bang terf.
cops will do what ever it takes to find homes in gated upper class communities instead of living next to a house with a low rider parked out front and bass music,etc.
code.red wrote on Jul 5, 2008 1:01 PM:cops don't want to move into gang bang terf.
cops will do what ever it takes to find homes in gated upper class communities instead of living next to a house with a low rider parked out front and bass music,etc.
PoPo wrote on Jul 5, 2008 1:47 PM:I am pretty sure this is aimed at cops who are single with no kids who are looking to get started in the housing market. I would do it if I was in that boat. Maybe not Townsite area but W LA looks nice...LOL!
vista get it together wrote on Jul 21, 2008 1:13 PM:No police officer is going to move into a neighborhood with his vehicle present in the driveway....maybe if vista would stop letting slumlords rent to multiple families in a single family home..neighborhoods would look nicer, less drugs, less cars parked in neighborhoods looking trashy, less garbage on the lawns....I can't believe the amount of stuff people leave laying out in the front of their houses, along with trash cans, auto parts, furniture, etc., old fencing, bricks, ....these homes are the drug dealers, the gang members, the I don't care! people.
We are the I do care people and we are going to make the city crazy because we are going to fight back at them to do something and for our neighborhoods.
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