CSULB professor goes home

By Ingela Ringbjer, Special to the On-Line Forty-Niner

Wednesday, December 2, 1998

After she was convicted of 69 health and safety code violations in a Westminster municipal court on Nov. 2, Cal State Long Beach civil engineering professor Elena Zagustin moved back home two weeks ago after an upheld eviction notice due to unpaid water bills, sources close to the case said.

The eviction notice was posted in January because Zagustin had no water service in her house after she failed to pay her water bills of approximately $800.

According to previous court testimony from Michael Newton of the Huntington Beach Water Department, records showed there was no running water in Zagustin's home from Nov. 20, 1997 to Jan. 8, 1998.

The 69 counts of fire, housing and municipal code violations did not meet minimum living standards. The conditions in and around Zagustin's home have been a safety issue to neighbors for many years.

Raymond Goulette, who has been living in the 16800 block of Morse Circle in Huntington Harbor for 24 years, said they have had problems with Zagustin's property for as long as she has been a resident there.

"The situation is still the same. Just because she now paid her water bills doesn't change anything. It might be OK with the city, but not for those people who have to live in it," Goulette said.

During interior and exterior inspections made earlier this year, Huntington Beach city officials said they found stacked trash and debris, and unsanitary conditions at Zagustin's home.

"It's unfortunate for the neighbors because I think she does present a real hazard for their safety. They're battling over safety and health issues," self-described "community coach" Jim Walker said.

Goulette is among the 22 neighbors who joined in a first lawsuit and 32 in a second suit filed against Zagustin in small claims court in Westminster. He said the neighbors will foreclose on her house since she still owes them well over $300,000.

"This has become a federal case now, but regardless of the legal victories, what the neighbors have always wanted is simply for her to clean up her act," Walker said.

Zagustin originally faced 95 misdemeanor charges, which were later reduced to 78. Of the remaining charges, she was acquitted on nine counts relating to exterior violations such as overgrown, decayed vegetation and broken, discarded furniture.

The sentencing set for Dec. 18 will determine if Zagustin will pay a fine or spend time in jail. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of $500 and six months in jail.