2020 CACEO Annual Seminar October 2020

Receivership – Fix Problem Properties At No Cost
Thursday, October 1
On Demand
Almost every City or County has abandoned, fire damaged, or otherwise dilapidated Properties. The majority of the time these
Properties sit abandoned and dilapidated for years with no solution in sight. However, a solution for these longstanding
dilapidated properties exists under California Health and Safety Code (“HSC”) §§ 17980.6 and 17980.7.
Ryan Griffith, Attorney and Receiver for Bay Area Receivership Group
Ryan attended California State University, Chico for his undergraduate studies and there he played
varsity basketball and was a three-time recipient of the scholar athlete award. After completing his
undergraduate studies, Ryan was hired as a paralegal in the New York City Attorney’s Office. After
working as a paralegal, he continued his basketball career and played professional basketball in China.
When he returned from China, Ryan was offered a Faculty Scholarship to attend Golden Gate University
School of Law in San Francisco. While in law school Ryan received multiple academic awards including Witkin & Cali Awards
for Academic Excellence and was also on the Dean’s List every semester. Ryan’s stellar academic performance put him in the
top 12% of his law school class and he was named to Golden Gate University Law School’s Jesse Carter Honor Society.
After graduating from law school, Ryan was hired by the City of Vallejo to develop the Neighborhood Law Program to resolve
its Code Enforcement Issues. In this role, Ryan worked closely with the Vallejo Police Department, Fire Department, Code
Enforcement, Building Department and City Council to develop solutions affecting the quality of life in Vallejo. A few of the
solutions he created include developing Vallejo’s Health and Safety Receivership Program, which resolved issues with
longstanding nuisance properties in Vallejo. On top of the nuisance abatement this remedy created, Ryan was able to
successfully recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorney’s fees and enforcement costs for the City of Vallejo. Ryan
also drafted Ordinances that allowed the City to demolish nuisance properties, which further improved the quality of life in
Vallejo.
The Solano County Bar Association recognized Ryan for his accomplishments in Vallejo by naming him the Solano County Bar
Association Young Lawyer of the Year in 2013. Since his time in Vallejo Ryan has worked for several law litigation firms
including Silver & Wright, which specialized in municipal code enforcement litigation. In 2017 Ryan joined Bay Area
Receivership Group as it’s In-House Counsel where he helps cities and counties address blighted properties exclusively
through the Health and Safety Receivership remedy