Guillermo Gonzalez owned a three-unit residential property in Santa Monica. Gonzalez lived in one unit and rented out the other two.

Over a fifteen year period, the City of Santa Monica sought relief against Gonzalez for violations of building, fire, housing, plumbing, and electrical codes. The city demolished portions of the property and recovered its costs from Gonzalez, criminally prosecuted Gonzalez, and conducted inspections that repeatedly revealed ongoing code violations.