Coastside farmworker housing issues further war of words

The property in question is owned by Aenlle as part of a trust, but is operated by the Contreras family for their family farm business in accordance with an agriculture lease. The Contreras Farm has operated at the site for more than 40 years.

According to an investigative report released Friday from ABC7 by Luz Peña, the property was “yellow tagged” or deemed uninhabitable, by the county’s Farmworker Housing Task Force, which is investigating the quality of habitat for farm laborers in unincorporated parts of the county. 

The agriculture lease leaves the Contreras family responsible for the property’s maintenance, Aenlle said, and tying his name to the concern of living conditions is “dirty and bad politics.” 

Aenlle is the subject of an ongoing investigation by Judge LaDoris Cordell, who was hired by the county, for matters pertaining to his role in the Sheriff’s Office. Amid this investigation, Aenlle said the ABC7 report was an effort to paint him as a “slumlord.”

“This is retribution,” Aenlle said. “They’re doing anything they can to misuse county resources and tremendous abuse of power by the government. Nothing else. By doing this they’re trying to continue to weaken the Sheriff and they’re doing that through her staff and those closest to her.” 

Supervisor Ray Mueller said “this is a complete and separate matter from the investigation taking place from Judge Cordell.” Mueller not only represents the majority of the agricultural areas within the county, but is also the board’s representative for ongoing matters regarding the Sheriff’s Office. 

Ongoing dispute

The dispute between top county officials and Sheriff Christina Corpus has bubbled for weeks now, with the next step being the results of Cordell’s investigation into Aenlle and another independent one into County Executive Officer Mike Callagy over allegations made by Corpus.

In a series of statements and a Sunday night press conference Sept. 23, Corpus redirected a series of contentions between the office’s administration and its labor unions and alleged County Executive Mike Callagy is the source of strife. Corpus said Callagy overstepped authority, inserted himself into operations of the Sheriff’s Office, and made unilateral decisions without her input in regards to union negotiations. Callagy has rejected the claims against him as false and defamatory.

Aenlle is also under scrutiny by the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and the Organization of Sheriff’s Sergeants for creating a “culture of fear” within the Sheriff’s Office, retaliation and committing unfair labor practices. In a vote of no confidence against him, 96% respondents voted in favor. The DSA and OSS maintained Aenlle is the problem.

Task force autonomy

The Board of Supervisors is not involved in the investigation or enforcement actions of the task force, Mueller said.

“Every farm and ranch has been inspected by the Farmworker Housing Task Force,” Mueller said. “I think the county needs to apply the law to every person in the county no matter who they are.” 

The task force is responsible for surveying all housing on agricultural land, and issues correction notices at any site that may not be aligned with codes or where the living situation is considered uninhabitable. 

Notices outline violations identified, a timeline for correcting these concerns, and a scheduled check in to make sure corrections are completed, Steve Monowitz, the director of the Planning and Building Department for the county, said. 

“In a typical code compliance situation, it’s the property owner that we hold accountable,” Monowitz said. “But, to the degree property owners have leased their land to agricultural operators who have been the primary operator of the land and the ones providing housing, then we’re working with the operators in those instances.” 

Although Aenlle said “no responsibility falls on the owner” in accordance with the lease, he said he will ensure the Contreras family works to become in compliance with zoning regulations and permit requests. 

“My responsibility is, I want to make sure that they’re doing everything right by that land and anything that falls under their lease,” Aenlle said. “I will make sure that it’s done. I’ve always been very responsible in how I conduct my business.” 

The property was identified as concerning due to trailers on the property, an unsafe wood structure and contaminated water, according to the ABC7 report. 

Aenlle said the report was a misrepresentation of the living situations at the site, and the connection drawn to him was “politically motivated and caused tremendous distress to the Contreras family.” 

A photo used in the report to show “mold covering an entire bathroom” was the personal bathroom in the main house, and not used for farm labor housing, Mayra Contreras said. She said the bathroom has been fixed since that photo was taken.

Unsafe drinking water

A look into the water contamination at the site also demonstrated unsafe drinking levels, according to the ABC7 report. Aenlle said this isn’t uncommon. 

“There are a million wells along the coast and that happens to everybody. They’re just weaponizing it,” Aenlle said. “You treat it and then you move on.”

While Aenlle believes the task force is an “overreach of government” that invades owner and occupant privacy, Monowitz said the task force does not enter properties without consent. 

Monowitz said if the task force feels there is a significant code or zoning violation and the property owner refuses access, they have the ability to request an inspection warrant, but has not done so for any properties. The goal is to make sure farmworkers are living in safe and healthy environments.

“The main focus has been on making sure that they have safe living conditions as opposed to, for example, making sure that all the proper permits were obtained in order to construct or install that unit,” Monowitz said.