Calif. Evicting Renters From Pristine Park

[Rose Siding]

CRYSTAL COVE STATE PARK, Calif. -- Residents of a mobile home park on the Pacific Ocean have long enjoyed a low-cost version of the California dream, paying hundreds in rent on million-dollar real estate.

But for 25 years they knew the clock was ticking on that dream. The state, which owns the land under their homes, would eventually ask them to leave so it could expand the surrounding Crystal Cove State Park and allow public access to undeveloped back country and pristine shoreline.

The day of reckoning has arrived: Barring a last-minute court reprieve, nearly 300 families who rent at El Morro Village mobile home park must give up their homes in one of the most expensive areas in the United States.
...
California bought the land from a developer in 1979 for $32 million, at the time the most expensive purchase ever for the state park system. The state didn't have the money to fully develop the park then, so it made a deal with the mobile home residents: They could stay for two decades on month-to-month leases in lieu of relocation payments. When the 20 years was up, the state still was not ready and extended the leases five years -- until Dec. 31.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-clearing-the-cove,0,3131243.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

A woman named Pirkle is quoted in support of development of the park for the public. But here's a snip from an old (poorly formatted) piece, apparently from an unspecified "Times" in '97-

snip>
Fern Pirkle, president of Friends of the Irvine Coast, said she came away with a generally positive impression of the environmental safeguards planned for the resort. "It seems to me that a lot of the environmental problems, they are dealing with very directly . . . Like almost everything that goes into preserving the environment, a price goes with it."
She said that while the rooms will cost more than some can afford, (*up to four hundred a night*) the trade-off is that public access will increase, "and that, to me, seems to be a public benefit. She noted the high cost of renovating the cottages, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

But Jeannette Merrilees of Laguna Beach, who also toured the cottages Wednesday, was far more critical. "It sounds to me like it's going to be a resort for the wealthy, and it doesn't sound like ordinary people are going to be able to use the area," said Merrilees, a volunteer docent who leads tide pool tours for the park.

http://moab.off-road.com/pipermail/ren/msg03335.html

[xxqqqzme]

1. and there isn't any money now either

I'm certain steroid boy has a magic solution tho!

[DRoseDARs]

2. Well, as long as it being developed for park land, not homes and...

...the rentors knew this was coming for a long time, I guess I'm ok with it. I don't have a problem with "eminent domain" situations when it's used properly. Washoe County here in Northern Nevada is considering that option for taking land to preserve what little open space remains in the Truckee Meadows and to preserve access to existing public lands. Some place back east was in the news 'cause they were taking the land, not for public parks and open space, but for developers. Fuck that. :thumbsdown:

[madaboutharry]

3. Bushie boy used "eminent domain" to take land

to build a baseball stadium and make a mint. Screw that too.

[Rose Siding]

5. "Park land" isn't a resort with $400 rooms

It's for developers with a thin cover.

[DRoseDARs]

12. Was in a rush & didn't read the article... definitely NOT ok with this n/t

[TwentyFive]

4. Musclehead is a terrible governor. Bring Gray Davis back!!!

[zann725]

10. I second that motion!

n/t

[Piperay]

14. Those cottages were emptied and the people

thrown out while Davis was Governor, that was the earlier phase the mobile homes are just the later phase. I have no love for Arnie but he had nothing to do with this, the bulk of it happened under Davis.

[mrdmk]

6. I know that location, I do know about pristine though

Considering it is about ten feet from Pacific Coast Highway (a very noisy road). The government has not allowed any new mobile homes in there and because of the salt air the trailers are starting to rust and occasionally during a heavy storm one gets to read in the newspaper about one being washed out to sea. A little ways south (I think it is part of the same park) there were some cottage homes that were renovated and are going to be used as cabin rentals owned by the state of California and ran by a private firm.

The area is in between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach and is very beautiful. The weather is considered to be a mediterranean climate. The land has low lying shrubs, succulents and other low lying plants. The animals in the consist of dear (which come by and eat your flower garden), coyotes (who howl in the night), raccoons (they come by in the night and steal your garbage) and lots of birds. Oh by the way did I mention there lots of birds so be wise, do not look up for a long period of time and wear a disposable hat! I must mention that for Southern California the place is not wall to wall housing, you can experience what real naked dirt looks like.

In all truthfulness people in this area have had mixed emotions about this trailer park, expectingly the people north and south of the area who live in multi-million dollar homes. Not to mention these trailers have been here (what is left of them) for long time and the state was always promising to remove them, so I will say, "good-bye and best of luck".


edit: need to learn how to proof read before posting a message.

[shanti]

7. is this the area

that used to contain a horse stable? what about newport shores? i used to go riding back in the 70's on the bluffs between newport and laguna.

[mrdmk]

8. That is correct, there are horse trials up in the hills eom

B-)

[grumpy44]

9. Here's what it looks like.

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/elmorro.html

Yes they do get winter storm damage every few years.

The houses up on the bluff go for $5 million+

Mobile home sized lots go for about $1.5 million on the beach in Orange County just for the sand.

The rich people want the trailer park gone.

The environmentalists want them gone.

The surfers want them gone too.

The park residents don't have many friends.

[Must_B_Free]

11. There are also mobile homes across PCH too

I wonder if they are to go also. At the time I looked at these about 5 years ago it was very expensive plus you have to pay the outrageous lot fee.

[mrdmk]

15. Welcome to D.U. grumpy44

Thank you for the picture! :hi:

[Katherine2]

16. Your link refers to primitive campsites

in the area. Do you know anything about these campsites? Are they the ones up the hill 2 and a half miles or so, or are they near the beach? Any help is greatly appreciated. I live in Irvine, a couple miles away, and would love to go camping on the beach in Laguna. Thanks.

[NorthernSpy]

13. working class people always lose

Much as we suck at defending the environment against the interests of corporations and the rich, we're just about unstoppable when it comes to sacrificing the homes of the vulnerable for some "greater good" that never seems quite great enough to include them.

Why does everything always seem to end the same way?

[durablend]

17. Money talks