State cites Daggett trailer park for dangerous conditions

“Now we’re on the road to suspending the permit or filing with the DA.”
Chris Anderson, Field Operations Manager, California Department of Housing and Community Development

DAGGETT — A mobile home park in Daggett has been cited by the state for safety violations and is in danger of losing its permit and facing criminal charges.

Inspectors from the California Department of Housing and Community Development found faulty wiring and unsafe electrical conditions at one space in the Santa Fe Mobile Home and RV Park on the 35000 block of Santa Fe Road. Though confined to one space, Kim Strange, the deputy director of the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development’s codes and standards division, said the electrical wiring put the tenants lives at risk.

“We’re trying not to close he park, but we do see it as immediate health and safety problems,” she said.

On Aug. 7, the state agency cited the park for unsafe electrical wiring and gave the park five days to fix it. Inspectors went to the park on Monday and found no repairs made. Chris Anderson, the field operations manager for the agency, said the tenants that lived in the house on the space left and no other tenants at the park are in eminent danger. However, Anderson still wants the repairs made.

“We have some real electrical hazards on that space and in that house,” Anderson said. “They are extremely severe.”

Tenants at the park said that they had not noticed any problems with their electric aside from a power surge that effected the entire area not long ago. Those problems, said two residents who refused to give their names, were promptly fixed. The few residents contacted were surprised to hear the park had been cited and reported no problems with the owner, who they said does not live in Daggett or the surrounding area.

The owner could not be contacted for this report. The number given by residents and posted on signs in the park for the owner has been disconnected. Anderson said the owner is working to fix the problem.

During two visits to the park, inspectors found exposed and unsafe wiring conditions, improperly maintained circuit breakers, spliced power conductors and other hazards. Anderson said the owner is unsure whether it is worth it to spend all the money needed to make the park compliant with the code. The owner might consider closing the park, Anderson said.

The state does not have the authority to shut the park down but can impose heavy penalties if the park does not fix the space’s electrical problems. The agency can suspend the park’s permit to operate, meaning the park owner could not collect rent, Anderson said. The state’s other avenue is through the courts. The park can be brought up on misdemeanor charges for violating the Mobile Home Park Act. The state is considering those options.

This is the first complaint received by the state since they took over enforcement of the Mobile Home Act from San Bernardino County a few months ago.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4121 or aaron_aupperlee@link.freedom.com