HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE >> Monday’s noon deadline for the Valley Fire refugees and others living in the Hidden Valley Lake Campground to leave came and went, with about 20 people remaining.
Despite reaching the deadline, no one was evicted from the camp as officials work to try to find places for the campers to relocate to before expected heavy winter rains come. They are also trying to resolve other issues that prevent campers from leaving, primarily vehicle repair issues or transportation problems.
Still, the camp is in the process of closing. And as those remaining make preparations to leave, the Hidden Valley Lake Association turns to winterizing the property.
The mood in the camp was somber with emotions running from confusion to anger and sadness. Most in the camp said they are there because they have no place else to go.
Sheriff Brian Martin was on scene when the deadline came and said that the Sheriff’s Office was not there to evict campers but to “keep the peace” if needed.
Martin also said that some of the camp residents have been there “a long time” and may have certain rights that prevent them from being evicted without due process.
He added, “I absolutely have compassion for these fire survivors. I want to find solutions that work for everybody.”
Although many campers heeded the deadline to leave, there were still 11 occupied campsites as of Monday morning. Most campground residents are in trailers or RVs but several remain in tents.
At noon, Hidden Valley Lake Association (HVLA) officials and security officers came into the campground, spreading out and talking to the campers.
“Our primary objective is to talk with people here today,” said Charles Russ, HVLA director of operations. “We have no intention to come in and physically remove anyone.”
HVLA interim general manager Bob Broyer said everyone in the campground received a letter in mid-November telling them they had to leave. However, several camp residents claimed they received no such notice and blamed HVLA for letting the situation in the camp get out of control.
Broyer said the people in the camp “need to move forward” and added, “We’re not evicting people. We’re trying to make it a peaceful relocation.”
Among the problems camp residents complained about are fighting, loud music and partying late at night, heavy drinking, and an influx of residents who are homeless for reasons other than being displaced by September’s devastating fire. Other reasons cited by residents include a lack of security and organization.
Some in the campground pointed to two male residents as among the camp’s biggest problems, saying the men are not Valley Fire victims.
“There are two people here who have ruined it for everyone,” said resident Stephen Wasik.
Wasik and his wife, Pam, were packing up and preparing to leave the campground Monday morning in anticipation of the noon eviction deadline. They lost their home in Cobb to the fire.
The deadline to leave the camp was set during a meeting last month of HVLA officials.
“This has become like a little community except for the two people who terrorize the camp,” said Pam Wasik. The couple said they plan to move their RV to a barn for a couple of months but beyond that, they have no idea of where they are going to go.
She said she did not receive an individual notice from HVLA, security or anyone else about the eviction. “We heard about it from a flyer posted at the campground bulletin board.”
Most of the camp residents are former renters who lost their rental houses, mobile homes or apartments to the Valley Fire. They come primarily from Middletown, Cobb and Hidden Valley Lake. They also have low or fixed incomes and are able to afford monthly rent of no more than about $750.
The campground abuts a tributary to Putah Creek that Broyer and others fear will turn into a raging river that overflows into the campground with the coming winter rains. Climatologists say that California is facing a potentially record-setting winter rainfall, thanks to a potent El Nino in the eastern Pacific.
At its peak several weeks ago, more than 100 people were living in the campground, most displaced by the fire. Many people were living in tents until donated trailers and RVs were found for them.
