By Margie M. Palmer | SDUN Reporter 
Golden Hill property owner William Carl Fink has pled guilty to charges that he failed to provide adequate structural living conditions to residents of 10 rental units.
City Attorney Communications Director Gina Coburn said the case was first received in October 2009. Since then, Deputy City Attorney Nicole Perdone, the San Diego Police Department and inspectors from the City’s Neighborhood Code Compliance have worked together to resolve the situation.
According to documents filed by the City Attorney’s office on June 29 of this year, Fink was charged with 25 misdemeanor counts. These include 13 violations of San Diego Municipal Code, 11 violations of Health and Safety Code and one count of violating California Safety Code.
Fink accepted a plea bargain on Nov. 16, pleading guilty to five misdemeanor counts. Three of these counts pertained to the maintenance of the building itself: maintaining a substandard building, a public nuisance and a fire hazard. The remaining two pertained to the vacant structures: failure to board and secure.
Coburn said in a press release, “William Carl Fink has allowed tenants to live in dilapidated units which had deteriorated and ineffective waterproofing of walls, roofs, foundations and floors; inadequate maintenance; inadequate heating; lack of sufficient fire resistive construction and fire extinguishing systems; inadequate plumbing; improper wiring; and [he] failed to install and maintain operable smoke alarms.”
Coburn also said, “Mr. Fink maintained vacant structures for several years lending to gang graffiti, trespassing by vagrants and past drug activity. There were also significant lead hazards found on the property.”
As part of the plea, Fink agreed to pay $5,000 in fines and to reimburse the City $1,673 in investigative costs. He is further required to install and maintain smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers. Vacant units have since been secured and he has agreed to keep the property free of trash, unpermitted storage, debris and graffiti.
Fink declined comment to San Diego Uptown News.
