Tenants of a San Mateo County trailer park cited for dozens of health and safety concerns have continued their push for county support after what they say is years of poor property management but officials assert they’re already doing their part in helping residents achieve a safer living environment.
Sequoia Trailer Park residents, supported by the nonprofit Faith In Action Bay Area and community members, issued a symbolic safety violation to county officials Wednesday evening in protest to dozens of citations issued to tenants in March.
Nearly all park tenants were cited for a number of issues ranging from improperly storing flammable liquids and propane tanks and blocking emergency exits to setback issues and unpermitted modifications to units that could affect community safety, said Deputy County Executive Justin Mates.
In response, park tenants have argued they’ve lived in unsafe conditions for years due to the county not holding park management responsible for repairing failing sewer and electrical systems, causing raw sewage to leak under or near units and creating fire risks.
During Wednesday’s demonstration outside the County Center, residents also argued it would be illogical to repair their units now given that many may have to be moved to create space for the infrastructure repairs to take place, potentially causing additional damage to the trailer units.
“County staff come to our park and disturb what little piece we have left from poor management and make it even more of a stressful situation for us,” said longtime park resident and health care worker Mary Whitney. “You can’t possibly build top to bottom. You need a solid foundation to build on.”
The citations were issued following a safety inspection earlier this year that was spurred on by what Mates described as a devastating fire to one of the units on the site that occurred last year. Safety concerns were broken down into three categories with the most urgent Category 1 issues needing to be repaired by June.
Penalties for not complying could include an administrative fee ranging between $100 and $500 for every day the repair goes unaddressed or forcing park management to make the repairs which Mates said could put tenants at risk of breaking their lease, potentially leading to eviction.
The property manager was also cited for infrastructure issues which Mates said are either in the process of being repaired or are being contested by the property owner. From the county’s perspective, all top health and safety issues need to be addressed as soon as possible to bring the site up to code, Mates said.
The county maintains that any repairs are on the tenants and property manager to address, not the county. Mates also encouraged residents to immediately alert the county to future specific issues as they arise.
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“It all goes to the safety of the park and making one wait for the other when they’re separate issues and separate corrections puts the tenants in danger for longer,” Mates said. “It’s the responsibility of residents to keep units safe and that exists separate and apart from the park management’s concurrent responsibility to keep the infrastructure up to code.”
The county’s goal, he said, isn’t to displace any residents or add unnecessary burden to their lives but to create a safe living environment by getting units up to code.
To help with the repair process, Mates said the county has partnered with Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit focused on creating safer communities through home repairs. Penalties will automatically be put on hold for any park resident who applies for assistance through Rebuild Together and will be completely dropped once the work is complete, Mates said.
To date, about 22 residents have applied for support but tenants say the process has been difficult and those who have applied have yet to hear back. Tenants have also questioned the county’s process of threatening fines before implementing a fair and effective assistance program as was promised.
“If you applied for the repair program, you should be able to have your violations repaired and covered by the county financially. But we actually haven’t seen that happen yet. We don’t know where that stands,” said resident Paul Ledo in a press release. “And now they are sending people threatening notices about fines. The order of this process doesn’t make any sense.”
Mates acknowledged the criticisms but doubled down on the county’s commitment to helping any tenant looking for assistance, reiterating the county is not interested in collecting money from park tenants. Next week, the county will be hosting an information session on how to apply for assistance.
During that time, Mates said officials will also conduct outreach to those who have yet to either correct or seek assistance on Category 1 violations. Of the 66 Category 1 citations issued, Mates said 17 have either not been addressed, he said.
“If you can’t do these repairs, our goal is not to put people in a tight spot, our goal is to make the park space safe,” Mates said. “We’re really trying to work with residents and not fine them. I can appreciate their frustration with the situation but we’re trying to get them in the best living conditions for their health and safety.”
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