Eviction threatened for handful of park residents violating
health and safety codes
Gilroy – A woman who exposed substandard living conditions at a ramshackle trailer park in south Gilroy has been given a 30-day eviction notice, though a park owner, under state pressure to correct a myriad of health and safety violations, said she and other tenants could remain if their homes are brought up to code by today.
The ultimatum to Livia Alvarado and four other residents of the park, tucked out of view near the corner of Luchessa Avenue and Monterey Road, comes two weeks before state housing officials decide whether or not to suspend the park’s operating license and refer owner Thomas Velladao to county prosecutors for potential fines and jail time. In addition to holding Velladao responsible for large-scale violations related to the park’s sewer system, roads and lighting, officials with the California Department of Housing and Community Development gave him final notice early this month that he would be held responsible for substandard conditions at each of the park’s 25 trailers. By this week, all but five of the roughly dozen trailers first cited by the state in April had complied with violation notices.
Alvarado, whose complaints about a 700 square foot sewage spill in March helped spark heightened scrutiny from the state, was the only one of the five tenants with outstanding violations who received an eviction notice.
“I’m up to date on my bills. I’m up to date on my windows,” she said Wednesday, referring to a pair of plastic windows, one cracked and the other warped. Alvarado took the day off work to fix the windows – the last of her safety violations – after being rousted from her home the day before by Velladao and park manager Robert Collins.
They told residents in each of the five homes with lingering problems that violations must be corrected by today. In addition to broken windows at Alvarado’s home, the list of 21 outstanding residential violations include an illegally constructed awning, cabana and room addition. Velladao and Collins planned to return today with a carpenter to tear down illegal structures, tow abandoned vehicles and issue additional 30-day eviction notices, if necessary.
Collins said he would not evict Alvarado or any other tenants as long as they comply with the orders. And he said he did not single her out because of her complaints.
“The other tenants have been more receptive to compliance,” he said. “Most of them had multiple issues – and most of those issues have been addressed. We sensed a desire to comply from the other tenants. Space 21 [where Alvarado lives] had not intended to comply.”
Collins said Alvarado and other tenants had nearly 90 days to upgrade their homes, referring to state notices of violation sent out in early April. Collins sent tenants additional notice Monday. His letter was written in Spanish so Alvarado and others who only speak Spanish could understand. But unlike the English-language notice sent by the state in April, the letter from park management did not itemize violations for each home.
“If I’m going to get hit with a potential jail sentence, a misdemeanor, all this stuff, you’d better get your window fixed,” said Velladao, a native Gilroyan who now lives in Petaluma.
The park owner has pushed forward with major repair plans since state officials issued a final order for compliance at the beginning of June. The move represents the last step before the state, which retains jurisdiction over the park as a transportation facility, hands the matter over to county prosecutors.
Velladao said street lights at the park are now being fixed. He expected a contractor to lay fresh asphalt over the park’s roadway next week and he has hired a plumbing contractor to either repair or replace several sections of the above-ground sewer lines, depending on feedback from the state.
Livia Alvarado hasn’t had an easy time since she and two women neighbors complained to the Dispatch in March about living conditions at the park. Many residents, she said, are afraid to speak up. Others want her to remain silent.
One neighbor, Jorge Valdez, called her a troublemaker Tuesday as Velladao and Collins issued ultimatums to a handful of tenants. Valdez was cited by the state for having an illegal room addition, and Velladao told him to remove it by today. Otherwise, the park owner planned to tear it down for him.
“I’m not causing any problems,” Alvarado said. “I’m only defending my rights.”
