Board Votes 11-0 to Allow Resident to Keep Front Wall
- Susan Heavilin
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
Action Item 6 on the Sweetwater Community Planning Group agenda last evening concerned an existing residential front wall.
The Rocha family had purchased the property—uninhabited since 2018—on Bonita Meadows Lane a little over a year ago through a Sheriff's/Marshal's levy sale. "In California, the Sheriff’s Department Civil Division performs the duties traditionally associated with a county 'Marshal,' executing court-ordered judgments to seize and sell real estate at public auction. This is an all-cash process."
There are a few Unincorporated County Risks involved in this process.
Unrecorded Liens & Encumbrances: A title search is vital. The property may have senior mortgages, IRS tax liens, or local San Diego County tax liens that stay attached to the property. If you win the auction, you inherit these debts.
Unincorporated Zoning & Code Compliance: Properties in unincorporated San Diego County are governed directly by the County's Planning & Development Services (PDS). The property could have active code compliance violations, illegal unpermitted structures, or restrictive zoning/fire-clearing requirements that become your legal and financial responsibility.
The Rocha family has been working with the County to correct all these issues one-by-one and complete the unfinished permits that existed. It has cost them a great deal of money.
In March of 2026, the Rochas received notification from the County Code Compliance Division that there had been a complaint about their wall that had been erected by the previous owner.
Click on images to enlarge
The Rochas were given two choices: begin the permit process to keep the existing wall or lower the wall to 42".
The height of 42" amounts to a front, privacy wall of less than four feet high . . . it would actually be three and a half feet tall. Not much privacy and easy to jump. One board member stated that this is the "wild west" area of Bonita and a 6' privacy way would better protect the property and its residents.
Bonita Meadows Lane at 30' wide is ten feet wider than many existing roads in the area. This allows more area for cars to maneuver within. One neighbor stated that they couldn't see around the bend and that they wanted the wall painted a different color. This was not the neighbor that filed the complaint. Several board members suggested mirrors be added on the corners to better see approaching traffic coming around the corner and the Rochas were agreeable to that suggestion.
Because it was an Administrative Permit, the Rochas were required to present their project before the Sweetwater Community Planning Group and get their approval. The vote was unanimous for the Rochas to keep their 6' wall in place.
SEAT # | NAME | VOTE |
1 | Elizabeth Stonehouse | YES |
2 | Michael Clowers | ABSENT |
3 | Uwe Werner | ABSENT |
4 | Lori Noe | YES |
5 | Mark Kukuchek | YES |
6 | Daniel Diaz | YES |
7 | Michael Garrod | YES |
8 | Stephen Stonehouse | YES |
9 | Patty O'Mara | ABSENT |
10 | Harriet Taylor | YES |
11 | Felix Felix | YES |
12 | Anthony Tieber | ABSENT |
13 | Judith Tieber | YES |
14 | John Taylor | YES |
15 | Penni Wilson-Neely | YES |
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