(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the operator of employee housing shall provide a resident of every unit in the employee housing with a written copy in English and Spanish of every order or notice of violation issued by an enforcement agency accompanied by an explanation of the owner’s or operator’s anticipated response to the order or notice. Each notice shall also advise the occupants of the right to a hardship deferral and the procedure for obtaining this, as set forth in subdivision (c). These copies may be provided by first-class mail or by posting a copy of the notice in a prominent place on each residential unit.
(b) (1) (A) The enforcement agency shall not require the vacating of all or any part of an accommodation unless it concurrently orders the operator to provide for the relocation of the tenants consistent with the requirements of Section 17062 prior to the date the vacating is required and requires expeditious demolition or repair to comply with this part, the building standards related to employee housing, or other rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this part. Any local government may, prior to January 1, 1994, enact a local relocation ordinance that imposes requirements more stringent than those contained in this section. The tenant or tenant association may enforce the relocation remedies of this section, and the enforcement agency, to the extent feasible, shall cooperate in these efforts. The enforcement agency may require vacation and demolition or itself vacate the building, repair or demolish the building, or institute any other appropriate action or proceeding, if either of the following occurs:
(i) The repair work is not done as scheduled or cannot be completed within a reasonable period of time.
(ii) There is a significant threat to the residents’ or public health and safety.
(B) In any civil action brought by a private person or entity to obtain relocation assistance pursuant to subparagraph (A), following an enforcement agency’s order to vacate all or any part of an accommodation, and the failure to comply with the agency’s order to provide for the relocation of the tenants, the private person or entity, if he, she, or it is the prevailing party, may be granted reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, in addition to any other remedy granted.
(2) Prior to vacating and demolishing the accommodation, the public agency shall exert every reasonable effort to obtain or cause repairs. In addition, to the extent feasible, if the public entity causes vacation of the accommodation, it shall cooperate in efforts to obtain compensation from the owner or operator to compensate the displaced residents for their relocation expenses, including rent differentials.
(c) The enforcement agency or a court of competent jurisdiction may, in cases of extreme hardship to tenants of employee housing, provide for deferral of the effective date of orders of abatement. Any deferral of the effective date of any order of abatement shall include conditions, including, but not limited to, payment of rent to an appropriate receiver, which will ensure progress towards correcting defects, or assist in relocation of tenants prior to closure of the employee housing.
(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 91, Sec. 63. Effective January 1, 1996.)