Imagine living next door to a yard full of trash. Not only is it unsightly, one woman says it's bringing rodents and roaches to her home.
"There was a big rat on our roof. Mice come out at night. And, then there are cockroaches really big that are coming,” says Laura Hermosillo, who lives next door. “And, we've killed a couple of them already, but they fly, they flew."
Laura Hermosillo and her family have lived in their east Bakersfield home for nearly a decade. They say their neighbor's trash started piling up four months ago, after the elderly woman who lived there moved into a senior home.
Hermosillo says the woman's family threw her stuff in the backyard, and the new tenants have been piling up more junk, like tires in the driveway.
"The lady, she doesn't seem to say or do anything either,” Hermosillo says. “She just kind of, you know, and the guy is the one who comes and goes and more people and they dump."
The family has tried blocking their view of the trash with screens. They also called Kern County Code Compliance, who inspected the home two weeks ago.
"There was excessive accumulation of trash, junk and debris, a lot of old clothing and furniture, and just piles of trash left in the yard,” said Chuck Lackey, Director of Engineering, Surveying, and Permit Services. “We cited the property owner."
17 News spoke with the new tenant who has been living in the house for a month with her children. She wouldn't reveal her name, but says if the trash is so bad her neighbors can come clean it themselves. She says she's not going to do it until she's good and ready.
"They don't care, but we do. We live here,” Hermosillo says. “This is our house, and we just want something done."
County Code Compliance says the homeowner has two weeks to clean up the trash. Then, staff will come inspect the home, and if it's not clean the owner will face a fine.
