Protecting seniors means discriminating against everyone else, according to Nick Ubaldi with Harmony Communities, the company that’s now managing Del Cielo Mobile Estates—the once 55-and-older mobile home park in Orcutt.
I say once because Ubaldi said it is no longer. Not only is it now an all-ages community, Ubaldi said in a statement, the park also doesn’t have to comply with a recently passed moratorium that forbids the park from changing to an all-ages park.
So, why then, are Del Cielo’s owners suing Santa Barbara County over the ordinance? I’m so confused.
“We believe this ordinance is unjust and attempts to force us to violate federal law,” Ubaldi told the Sun in an email. “The recent conversion moratorium in Santa Barbara County does not affect Del Cielo, as we have already designated the park as all-ages in accordance with state law. Any change to a senior-only designation would be our decision alone.”
I’m still confused. And it sounds like he might be confused too.
A few days after the supervisors passed this moratorium attempting to discriminate against non-seniors (read: protect seniors, a special class often discriminated against), Del Cielo Manufactured Housing Community LLC sued the county.
It’s very similar to a lawsuit filed in a very similar case that Harmony Communities and Ubaldi have their fingers in: Countryside MHP LLC vs City of Cotati. The results of that lawsuit are still pending. Attorney Paul Beard II said the company (Which company? Harmony Communities or some random LLC that it manages a mobile home park on behalf of?) has been successful in its lawsuits up north. However, one it (they?) filed in Petaluma over rent control was dismissed.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors doesn’t seem to give AF that Ubaldi and company (companies?) attorney Beard II threatened to sue them over the issue. Both 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino and 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson essentially said, “bring it on.”
The dynamic North County duo is normally reticent when it comes to decisions that could lead to court time. But not this time.
“I felt that if you’re going to come to the Board of Supervisors and threaten—basically threatened us, called us racists—I can only imagine what you’re going to be doing when you’re dealing with people on fixed incomes that are elderly, that might not have all of the resources that we do,” Lavagnino said during the Nov. 5 hearing.
He added that it was good to know where these owners were coming from. All the better to prepare a defense in court.
Nelson said he was offended by the public comments made by Ubaldi and Beard II. He referred to an email Ubaldi sent him previously.
“‘The current situation has forced us to explore creative solutions including converting to all ages to make the park profitable long term—something that the previous owner did not think could be done and therefore elected to sell,’” Nelson said Ubaldi wrote. “So, he bought a property understanding that it could not be converted, yet he is now trying to find a legal pathway to do that.”
I guess the court will decide.
The Canary’s on the case. Send comments to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 14-24, 2024.