Any guess who won’t be entering the City of Manteca’s Fabulous Front Yard contest?

It’s the folks that follow Morticia Addams’ sensibilities that weeds, not flowers, brighten up yards or who believe the new green is brown.

There are no endless shades of green in their yards just various hues of dirt unless, of course, they are growing a new crop of weeds.

Lawn ornaments?

They run the gamut from cars featuring windshields with a thick film of dirt to strategically placed non-functional appliances.

A bit of an exaggeration.

Manteca isn’t that far gone, not by a long shot.

And one person’s “yard beautiful” is not another’s.

But there is a big difference between setting the stage for a two-alarm brush fire and basic yard upkeep just as there is between tidy and blight.

The city using a carrot such as a front yard contest as a way to encourage neighborhood and community pride is a nice move.

And you know what would be an even nicer move?

Turning the heat up on those that are literally running a business owning a house.

We’re not talking a home business per se.

We’re talking those that own rentals.

Do not misunderstand.

There are more than a few homeowners in Manteca that need to step up their game in their front yards.

But whether there were specific ordinances or covenants, conditions & restrictions (CC&Rs) in place the year when plans for their homes were built, the city may not have much of a hammer when it comes to things like going after people who routinely park vehicles on their front lawns or what used to pass as lawns.

Then there is the understandable position of Manteca, as well as most other cities, to view CC&Rs as civil matters between homeowners.

The sheer number of potential violations to CC&Rs that are often extensive and vary from one subdivision to another would assure lifetime revenue for a million or so lawyers.

The city does go after egregious code enforcement complaints regarding buildings and such along with upkeep issues that create a clear public and safety concern.

Due to manpower, it’s reactive and not proactive.

And in fairness, the city does an OK job.

OK, though, should not be good enough especially if there is an area where they can step up their game.

Manteca doesn’t have to look too far for an example.

All they have to do is look at a property upkeep ordinance they put in place during the Great Recession at the peak of the foreclosure crisis that some proclaimed was the first of its kind in the nation.

It basically used the premise that a business is different than a home.

It imposed a rigid and clear standard for basic property upkeep, foreclosed or not.

It just didn’t just require broken windows that aren’t replaced to be boarded up in a short time frame but the plywood painted to match the exterior of the house.

The ordinance listed various egregious property upkeep issues and assigned significant fines that has the ability to increase daily after a set period has passed following property owners being notified and nothing happening.

The city’s strategy worked.

The number of foreclosed homes that were party houses or de facto homeless shelters plummeted.

So did this the overall number of foreclosures that screamed decay and blight.

Rental homes are businesses in neighborhoods.

They produce income for owners.

As such they should and can be held to a higher standard.

Those that let property upkeep go under the premise it’s the renters’ concern are channeling slumlords.

The city needs to establish minimum front yard upkeep standards for homes that are businesses producing rental income for the owners.

It can be simple.

No dead vegetation.

Minimum landscaping and basic upkeep.

That could be a lawn that is a minimal consumer of water that is mowed at least every two weeks or landscaping that meets the city’s drought-resistant standards.

It’s as much for dust control as it is to reduce fire hazards and preventing the seeds of blight being planted.

The city could require business licenses for those renting homes if they don’t already as a way to monitor them.

That said, the overwhelming of landlords in Manteca — from those with one or two rentals to the hundreds under control of the Raymus Foundation — are responsible business people.

The issue are “absentee” landlords and those that could care less.

Manteca needs to add a stick to go after landlords that just see homes they own as an ATM that they are not responsible for keeping yards in presentable conditions.