Reporting Other Problems and Incidents

The SDPD is not responsible for dealing with all of the problems and incidents that affect public health, safety, and welfare, although in many cases it works with other agencies in addressing them.  Problems involving graffiti, litter, animals, unsafe street conditions, certain municipal code violations, neighborhood nuisances, and abandoned shopping carts should be reported to the agencies that have the primary responsibility.  All of these reports are completely confidential so you should not be afraid to give your name, address, and phone number.

• Graffiti
• Litter
• Animals
• Unsafe Street Conditions
• Code Violations
• Neighborhood Nuisances
• Abandoned Shopping Carts

Graffiti

Call the City of San Diego's Graffiti Control Hotline at (619) 525-8522 to report graffiti on private or public property.  Your report will be verified and the party (property owner) responsible for removing the graffiti will be notified.  Victims can obtain free recycled paint and supplies to remove graffiti by calling the City Paint Bank Operations at (619) 527-5419.  The faster graffiti is painted out the less likely it is to return.  If it is not removed the City will use the enforcement remedies and abatement procedures in Secs. 54.0401 et seq of the San Diego Municipal Code to bring the property into compliance.  Call 911 if the graffiti vandalism is in progress.  Give the dispatcher the location and a good description of the vandals and their vehicles.  Do not confront them because they often carry weapons and have lookouts you may not see.

Litter

Call the City of San Diego's Environmental Services Department at (858) 694-7000 regarding litter on private or public property.  Call City Park and Recreation at (619) 685-1350 regarding litter on property in a Landscape Maintenance Assessment district.

Call the San Diego County Tobacco Litter Abatement Task Force at (800) 667-6653 to report motorists who flick cigarettes from their vehicles.  You will be asked for the date and time, approximate location, a description of the vehicle, and the vehicle’s license plate number.  Calls are recorded and forwarded to the California Highway Patrol.  When time permits officers will verify your information and send a warning letter to the vehicle’s registered owner.

Animals

Call the County Department of Animal Control 24-hour emergency number, (619) 236-2341, to report incidents involving animals that threaten public health and safety.  Call the City Environmental Services Department at (858) 694-7000 for the removal of dead animals in public right-of-ways.  The following numbers can be used for other animal control services:

• Spaying or neutering, lost and found, operator assistance, etc.  (619) 236-4250
• Licensing and rabies vaccinations  (619) 236-4250
• Adoptions  (619) 236-4250
• Noise abatement  (619) 236-5500    

You can call the National Conflict Resolution Center at (619) 238-2400 for help in dealing with people whose animals are causing unreasonable noise.  Complainants are now referred to this private, non-profit organization of trained community volunteers because City agencies no longer handle these kinds of disputes.

Unsafe Street Conditions

Conditions that should be reported include: holes and cracks in surfaces and curbs; missing, damaged, or obscured signs; inoperative lights and signals; hazardous debris; needs for new safety measures; and trees that need trimming.

• Holes and Cracks in Surfaces and Curbs.  Call City Street Division at (619) 527-7500 to report potholes, cracks, and other problems with street surfaces, sidewalks, and curbs.
• Missing, Damaged, or Obscured Signs.  Call (619) 527-7500 to report these problems.
• Inoperative Lights and Signals.  Call (619) 527-7500 to report inoperative street lights and traffic signals.
• Hazardous Debris.  Call the City Environmental Services Department at (858) 694-7000 to report hazardous debris on streets.  Call the California Highway Patrol at (858) 637-3800 to report small objects on freeways that are unlikely to cause an accident or injure a motorist.  Call 911 if the object could endanger motorists.
• Needs for New Safety Measures.  Call City Transportation Engineering at (619) 533-3126 to suggest new crosswalks, curb markings, traffic signals, signs, speed bumps, additional street lights, tree and other obstruction removal, etc.
• Trees.  Call City Street Division at (619) 527-7500 to report city-owned trees that need trimming. 

Code Violations

Call the City Neighborhood Code Compliance Department's Citizen Complaint Intake Line at (619) 236-5500 regarding violations of the City's housing, building, sign, zoning, vehicle parking, weed abatement, and noise regulations.  Some common violations that should be reported include vehicles parked in front yards, excessive weeds on private property, dilapidated or unsafe structures or fences, unsecured vacant structures, uninhabitable rental housing, building or remodeling without permits, illegally posted signs, operating a business from a home, other illegal uses of residential property, and garages converted to living spaces.   

To report code violations in person, visit your local Community Service Center (CSC).  You can discuss the general problem with a Code Compliance Information Officer and make an appointment to meet with an inspector about your specific complaint.  The addresses and phone numbers of the City’s CSCs are listed below.  Hours of most CSCs are 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 1 to 5 p.m. on Friday.  But call first to make sure.  

Clairemont 4731 Clairemont Dr.
San Diego, CA 92117 (858) 581-4111

Navajo 7381 Jackson Dr.
San Diego, CA 92119 (619) 668-2700

Peninsula 3740 Sports Arena Blvd.  Ste. 2
San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 692-4970

Rancho Bernardo 17110 Bernardo Center Dr. 2d Floor
San Diego, CA 92128 (858) 538-8070

San Ysidro 663 E. San Ysidro Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92173 (619) 424-0230

Scripps Ranch 11885 Cypress Canyon Rd.
San Diego, CA 92131 (858) 538-8200

Neighborhood Nuisances

The City of San Diego sponsors a program to help residents abate nuisances in their neighborhood.  Nuisances can include an unsightly property, excessive noise, gang activity, prostitution, drug activity, trespassing, CC&R violations, etc.  The basis for the program is California law that makes property owners responsible for using their property in an ordinary and reasonable manner that is conducive to the peace and harmony of the neighborhood and does not interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property by others.  Property owners violate the law by allowing a nuisance to exist on their property whether they themselves live there or not.  Once they become aware of the nuisance they become responsible for abating it.

Under the Neighborhood Nuisance Program, the affected residents work with a City representative who guides them through a process to abate the nuisance.  The process involves the following steps: collection of evidence, documentation of the nuisance effects, notification and negotiation with the property owner, demand that the nuisance be stopped, etc.  If the owner fails to abate the nuisance the residents can file a suit in small claims court where they can describe the nuisance and their efforts to resolve it.  In addition to a court cost of $22, service fees range from $15 to $150 depending on the method of service and number of defendants.  The judge has the power to order the property owner to abate the nuisance and/or pay monetary damages to the residents. 

For information about this program contact the City of San Diego Neighborhood Code Compliance Department at (619) 533-6123.

Abandoned Shopping Carts

Members of neighborhood and business watch groups, business improvement districts, and other community groups who are concerned about this problem should do the following when they see an abandoned cart:

• If the cart has a phone number on it for retrieval purposes, call that number and report the location of the cart.  The number may be that of the store or that of the California Shopping Cart Retrieval Corporation (CSCRC), which has contracts with some stores to retrieve and return their carts.  Its number is (800) 252-4613.
• If the cart has a store name on it but no phone number, look up the number of the nearest store and call it to report the location of the cart or call the City Environmental Services Code Enforcement Section at (858) 694-7000 to report its location.  It will investigate the complaint and deal with the cart in the appropriate manner.
• If the cart has neither a store name or phone number, which is rare, call the City Environmental Services Code Enforcement Section to report its location.