Rocky Raccoon

[Oceanbeach]

Now somewhere in the hills of West Sonoma
There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon...

Rocky usually terrorizes the neighbors garbage cans on Tuesday night because Wednesday is pick up garbage day.  Ever since the hanging, that house has gone downhill.

The local hardware store rents traps for $10 and the couple up the road who have lived here for 40 years have on to lend.  For $10 and some bait, I can catch 2 Raccoons and what do you do with them?  That section of animal control has closed due to budget.  Do you take them up further into the hills?  They are pretty and very mean.  When they get into the garbage, they take it under my house, the vicious creatures.

On a good evening, you can see a Silver Fox come down out of the hills.  The neighbor lady can get up to 5' close to one.  Out the door and up in the trees the squirrels jump from tree to tree, this is their home   Have the best day
Michael

[Basquo]

Well, Michael, does the trash under your house stink? That would be my main concern. If so, and you can humanely trap and "relocate" them without putting yourself in danger (of even a scratch,) then I say borrow a trap and get them gone. If it's entertaining and doesn't stink or seriously damage property, wait for someone else to do it.

Cheers!
Creighton

[tednlou2]

Just be careful not to get teh rabies.  I couldn't kill an animal.  Well, if it attacked someone or one of my dogs I probably could.  Can you get some trash bins that are animal proof?  I have family who live out in the boonies, and they have locking trash cans.

[Oceanbeach]

Well, Michael, does the trash under your house stink? That would be my main concern. If so, and you can humanely trap and "relocate" them without putting yourself in danger (of even a scratch,) then I say borrow a trap and get them gone. If it's entertaining and doesn't stink or seriously damage property, wait for someone else to do it.

Cheers!
Creighton

Hi Creighton,

Haven't seen you in a long time and hope all is well.    I am preparing to sue the owner of the house next door on nuisance charges because...  The trash itself does not stink but, it is an illegal 2 brdm duplex, built without permits on a septic system allowable w/ a 2 bedrm perk test.    I should probably explain a perk test because I learned 8 years ago...  When you build a house in the country, services such as water and septic need to pass inspections through the Permit Resources Management Dept, this determines how much house can be built on the lot.  A contractor will did a hole, pour in some water with the permit inspector who measures how fast the water seeps into the soil.

These houses were built in 1901 and with the close proximately to San Francisco, it was 600 acres of weekend houses, never intended for year round living and all with a 2 bedroom perk test.  A person who bought the house next door in the 60's, was a building contractor who built twice the house his lot could service.  Everyone loved him, I went to his funeral and didn't recognize many people there.  The house was sold 4 years ago...

A year ago in February the new property owner hanged himself in his back yard.  He was my neighbor and my friend.   His partner had a new lover already lined up and sleeping in the guest room at the time.  The County bought the new love story and they were upside down on the mortgage (paid $360K for a house worth $285K).   The new lover was a gay man with a daughter by one girl and a son by another.  The mother and the boy moved in, her BF moved in, his brother moved in and before the neighbors noticed, we had a crack house. 

When you put 8 to 10 people in a house approved for 4 to 5 tenants, the septic tank overfills.  Creighton, you and Ted both know, "Hot water on the Left, Cold water on the Right and Shit don't run uphill.  My house is downhill.   I have filed charges and complaints for 5 months and have got pathetic response from the county.  I have the Gray water test reports and the sewage (brown water) test reports and it is pure human shit going down the road, inching pollution to the Russian River and you guys know what?  The Code Enforcement Supervisor grew up at the bottom of this hill, this is a very small town of a couple hundred residents.  When he confirmed the results of the shit test, I reported that George did not use any building permits in the 40+ years he owned that house and the code enforcement turned ashen white and his jaw dropped to the ground.  He wrote (2) 30 Day Notices Of Violation which demanded permits, repairs, and inspection.  There were listed threats for failure to comply leading to Superior Court charges.

The boys said, they completely understood the seriousness of the situation but someone left a toilet running which caused all the damage (for 5 months) and they dropped the charges without any written documentation.  So as the month progresses, the septic tank fills, and it spills over and the Supervising Environmental Health Supervisor on the case supports the property owners right to not make repairs.

Every day, I get up and take pictures, send email and have a long line of Sonoma County personnel receiving email and not earning their pay.    That's what stinks.  I have told them all, when the shit pours next time, some careers will end.  I have lived in this house for 8 years and have never had Raccoon like this years, because of the neighbors.

An open sewer is a public decency issue and I am openly surprised none of the County employees has taken any action to the knowledge the property owner is an employee of a health clinic who must track through shit on the way to his car, going to work.  A person who knowingly allows his home to be that disgusting should not be working in public health.     Have the best day
Michael
(who has a second hanging neighbor, from 3 years ago)