Evictions favor trailer owners, renters say

Deirdre Newman

Some renters of the Anchor Trailer Park who have received eviction

notices are upset because they feel that the owner is kicking them

out to make room for mobile home owners who will be displaced when

two of his other mobile home parks close.

So far, Joe Brown, who also owns Snug Harbor and El Nido trailer

parks, has sent eviction notices to six renters. He intends to

eventually evict all of the 16 renters whose homes are

high-maintenance, consultant Marice White said.

The notices say the reason for the eviction is to eliminate the

high maintenance costs and upgrade the park to owner-occupied only.

Some Anchor renters dispute that contention.

“I don’t think it’s fair,” tenant Mike Waite said. “I’ve been

there for three years, and [Brown] hasn’t done one thing to fix the

place. There’s other reasons than what he’s saying.”

White said the timing of the Anchor renters’ being evicted in the

midst of Brown’s efforts to close Snug Harbor and El Nido Trailer

Parks to make way for a potential medical office building is

coincidental.

“It was truly a business decision,” White said. “When they were

going over the financial [information] and what the costs of these

trailers were, they can no longer afford to carry the maintenance on

these units.”

Brown has given all six tenants the opportunity to buy their

homes, but no one has taken him up on the offer, White added.

This week, mobile home tenant activist Don Hunter held two

meetings for residents of all three parks. The gatherings allowed the

participants to get information about the rights of mobile home park

residents and commiserate with each other about their predicaments.

Many suggested banding together to present a united front to the City

Council in their plea for protection.

“We’re trying to get people together so we won’t lose our homes,”

said Adrianne Watkins, who lives at Snug Harbor.

Based on his own investigation, Hunter said, he believes Brown is

evicting Anchor renters to make way for displaced Snug Harbor and El

Nido residents.

“[Brown] put out a notice to people at Snug Harbor and El Nido

that there were 20 available spaces at Anchor, and there aren’t,”

Hunter contended.

He also asserted that Brown only has the right to evict tenants

based on certain criteria in the state code.

But Steve Gullage, state president of the Golden State

Manufactured-Home Owners League, said owners such as Brown can evict

renters as long as they are on a month-to-month lease and adequate

notice is provided. Although state law requires a 60-day notice,

Brown is providing 75 days to Anchor renters, according to the

eviction notices.

While she hasn’t been served with an eviction notice -- she owns

her trailer -- Haley Harrigan came to the meeting to stay informed.

“If he can do it to the renters, he can do it to the owners,”

Harrigan said. “Besides, these people are my friends.”

Brown has already given closure notices to the residents of El

Nido and Snug Harbor, alarming many residents who claim they are not

being offered fair compensation to relocate. Brown is offering to pay

owners up to $3,000 to move to another park.

In July, the council voted to move forward with a possible change

to the city’s rules to give it more authority over mobile home park

closures. It also approved continuing the exploration of an interim

amendment and council review of the relocation package for Snug

Harbor and El Nido to give residents of those two parks as much

certainty as fast as possible.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at [email protected].