When it comes to blighted property in our community, Mike's Market is an all-star. We have written on more than one occasion about the problems at the site and how they negatively impact the surrounding neighborhoods. Of course, nothing has been done about it because of the way the County gives preferential treatment to neglectful commercial property owners. Owners of residential property don't matter, it seems. Nor do owners of commercial developments and businesses who manage their property responsibly. It's an exasperating situation when there is an obvious scar on the landscape with constant questionable activity, while the County has Sheriff's Deputies, code enforcement people and an entire land use/economic development staff that have proven ineffective at doing anything other than letting the problems fester.

Now there is yet another attempt by frustrated community members to get some listening behavior from our esteemed County Overlords. Specifically, there is a petition asking the property owner at Mike's Market to help deal with the problems there. The petition, already signed by almost 800 people, mentions::

• The need for "no trespassing/no camping" signs, the lack of which have apparently kept County staff at bay,
• Broken and burned out lighting,
• Unused, vacant commercial space, with years-long absence of tenants,
• Health and safety problems of persistent camping by transients (human waste, trash, rubbish),
• Business signage in non-working order, and
• Decreased property values and blight in the community.

Given the site's history, the chances that the property owner will step up are slim to none.  It has been particularly hard to bring attention to the problems there becasue of the location. For one thing, Mission Avenue doesn't have anywhere near the vehicle traffic (i.e. passing eyeballs) that the ruins of the old Savings Center on Watt do. Further,  being on Mission means Mike's Market is across the street from Arden Arcade and at the very edge of Carmichael. Mission is used by the County to assign tasks to its workforce. The staff workers assigned to Arden Arcade and Carmichael are not likely to be told to prioritize the edges of their assigned area. Regardless, it is important that everyone understands that Mission is an artificial boundary between Arden Arcade and Carmichael. We here in the vast unincorporated UnCity are all in the same boat. The County doesn't really care about either side of Mission, or for any of our other necks of the woods (with the possible exception of our privileged neighborhoods). Despite these circumstances, the current Mike's Market petition might get some traction if the community hammers the message home with the Board of Supervisors. In other words, it's up to all of us.

The Sheriff's meetings at Country Club Lanes and the Orange Grove Community Room next week might be good opportunities for the community to let its feelings be known.

We close this post with our usual comment about how municipal incorporation can be a way to deal with the County's failures like this. Supervisor Desmond, who typically responds to complaints by saying that the County "isn't up to the job" of municipal service delivery, will probably lend a sympathetic ear to concerned voices. But, remember, he is only 1 vote on the Board of Supervisors, which needs at least 3 votes to do anything. How many people packing into the Supervisor's chambers will it take for any of the other 4 Supervisors to pay attention, to act? Are you willing to keep waiting for the County to do something, or would you prefer a different course of action?