Residents to fight for park

Jenny Marder

Residents of the Cabrillo Mobile Home Park have banded together to

hire a lawyer in an attempt to buy and take over their parcel by the

sea.

Their plan may hit a legal roadblock, however, since its former

owner, Mills Land and Water Co. has first dibs if owner Caltrans

decides to sell.

For 40 years, the California Department of Transportation has

owned and served as landlord of the 24-acre property that includes

the mobile home park, the Action Boat Sales boatyard at the corner of

Beach Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway and a strip of degraded

wetlands. Now, Caltrans wants to sell.

In 1965, Caltrans acquired the land from the Mills Land and Water

Co. by eminent domain with plans to build a freeway. When the freeway

fell through, Mills Co. sued Caltrans for a delay in severance

damages from the acquisition and for leaving them landlocked.

“As a result of that lawsuit, the state legislature adopted a

special legislation called the Mangers Bill, which granted Mills

certain rights to purchase the Caltrans property,” said City Planning

Manager Scott Hess.

The Mangers Bill was passed by the California legislature and

signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in August 1978. Under the terms of

the bill, the legislature directed Caltrans to sell the land back to

Mills Land and Water Co.

Homeowners at the park fear that Mills Co. will send rent sky high

and impose stringent rules on the community.

“They’ve told us that they’re going to redo the whole

infrastructure and then charge us for it,” Cabrillo resident Cindy

Kelber-Ackley said. “Rent is going to go up.”

Robert Moore, owner of the Mills Land and Water Co., said

residents were “reasonable in their anticipation that there would be

a rent increase.”

As landlord, Caltrans has always had little involvement in the

resident’s affairs. Over the years, tenants have reached into their

own pockets to spruce up the mobile home park. They built a community

pool, a clubhouse and a basketball court and lay down asphalt and

built fences where needed.

Led by Cabrillo resident and one-time City Council candidate Joey

Racano, park tenants are now mobilizing to save their park from a

sale to Mills Co.

Residents have transformed their pool-side clubhouse into an

office with a large oak desk, a phone, a donated computer and framed

wetland-themed photographs for the walls. They assembled a team of

public speakers to rally support at the City Council and Planning

Commission meetings. They’re also backing Jeff Ackley, one of their

own, to run for president of the city’s Mobile Home Advisory Board.

Residents have even chosen a new name for the park: Cabrillo

Wetland Village.

“Saving Cabrillo Mobile Home Park is nowhere near as endearing as

saving Cabrillo Wetland Village,” Racano said.

Their next job is to figure out how to front the bill. Right now,

park residents are looking into the option of municipal bonds to buy

the land. They also hope to choose a lawyer by the end of the month.

“Here at Wetlands Village, we’re seizing the day, and we’re going

to do what the leaders are not doing,” Racano said, “We’re trying to

make a better community.”

Racano says that the park, which offers low-income housing, is the

best use of the land and vows to fight Mills Land and Water Co. for

ownership.

“I’m going to make it so that it will not be commercially viable

for them,” Racano said, but would not specify how he plans to do

this.

Moore, who was unaware of the residents plans to make an offer on

the land, said it was too early to weigh in on resident’s plan.

“I can’t comment on something I don’t know about,” Moore said.

What the residents lack in money and political muscle, they make up

for tenfold in passion and a fervent commitment to their home.

“It’s a scary situation,” Kelber-Ackley said. “We have little.

This is lifesavings for people. This is their life.”

* JENNY MARDER covers City Hall. She can be reached at (714)

965-7173 or by e-mail at jenny.marder@latimes.com.