City of South San Francisco, has passed CA ORDINANCE NO 1402-2008;  Municipal code chapter 8.54, article VI.

While most of the provisions are similar to other ordinances throughout California and the nation, the provision requiring filling all plumbing fixture traps with vegetable oil appears to be unique.

As discussed in the following article in the SouthtownStar, Park Forest's new VPR ordinance includes provisions pertaining to;

• Real estate transfer tax stamps which are needed to sell the property,
• Property insurance and;
• A maintenance plan listing a time schedule for occupancy.

At the recently concluded U.S. Conference of Mayors 77th Annual Meeting in Providence RI, the issue of urban blight was prominent among the various topics discussed throughout.

During sessions titled "Responding to The Mortgage Foreclosure Crisis: Implementing Neighborhood Stabilization Programs" and "Vacant and Abandoned Properties Task Force" panelist Robert Klein, CEO Safeguard Properties was offered the opportunity to present the industry perspective and solution-driven initiatives - specifically the MERS Initiative.

Following the Sunday June 14th session the US Conference of Mayors (USCM) released their 2009 Vacant and Abandoned Properties Survey and Best Practices.