Tower Security Pledge
Under threat of fines and further legal action, owners of City Center Tower on Foothill Boulevard are pledging to work with Hayward police to safely clear the 11-story high-rise, and then secure it against trespassers and people who have been illegally inhabiting the building.
Kenneth Roberts, co-owner of the structure at 22300 Foothill Blvd. that once served as Hayward City Hall, delivered the pledge May 31 before an administrative hearing officer in a code enforcement case being prosecuted by Hayward city building officials.
City officials have conducted numerous inspections of the Tower in response to nuisance complaints from neighbors, blight, and unlawful and unsafe conditions observed by public safety personnel responding to calls for law enforcement and emergency medical services.
The case heard by the administrative officer on May 31 was initiated after a Feb. 16 inspection. City officials asked that Tower owners be ordered to eliminate all unsafe conditions, secure the building exterior to prevent people from getting inside and hire 24-hour, on-site security personnel—or let the city do it for them and obtain reimbursement after the fact.
On June 7, the administrative officer ruled in favor of the City and gave the building owners until July 1 to eliminate all unsafe conditions and secure the property or face penalties, fines and potentially additional legal action by the City.
