A new management company was hired to oversee the day-to-day operations of the De Anza Mobile Home and RV Park on Jan. 30 in a 8-0 vote by the San Diego City Council, replacing the firm which the De Anza Cove Homeowners Association had filed a lawsuit against.
Residents had complained that security guards from Hawkeye Asset Management acted like aggressive police officers but without proper authority during the transition phase in which residents are leaving the park as their lease expired in 2003. The ones remaining there include those whose trailers would fall apart if moved and others who are still looking for a mobile home park with vacancies. Many residents are elderly.
The Homeowners Association even filed a temporary restraining order against one of Hawkeye’s security guards, Timothy Higley, 30, from approaching any residents or the property. Higley no longer works for Hawkeye, and he was ordered Jan. 10 to perform 35 days of public service on probation for false imprisonment of a motorist he had pulled over on state Highway 94. His case was not related to the De Anza residents.
Replacing Hawkeye is Newport Pacific Capital Company, Inc., which will manage operations and help the transition as the remaining residents leave. De Anza residents got the chance to meet with officials from the Newport Company and another firm that competed, Carlsberg Management Company on Sept. 26, 2005.
Each company gave a one-hour presentation at the parks and comment sheets were available so residents could submit comments anonymously. The residents told city officials they preferred the Newport Company.
The city’s Acting Real Estate Assets Director, Jack Farris, submitted a report to the City Council and recommended Newport Company. Their fee will be $187,000 per year. Farris wrote that is half of the current management fee. These fees will be paid out of revenues generated from the park’s operation, Farris wrote.
In his report, Farris said the city terminated Hawkeye on July 14, 2005, after “Hawkeye became embroiled in the issues related to ongoing litigation.” Farris said the new management company was sought “in an effort to demonstrate the city’s commitment to work harmoniously with all residents.”
Hawkeye was terminated with a 180-day notice. They only recently provided a legal answer to the De Anza Homeowners lawsuit, which is still active. San Diego Superior Court Judge Charles Hayes will hear the case for motions and he recently set a June 9 date for arguments over whether the Homeowners Association should seek a class action status.
Hayes also set a civil trial for Feb. 1, 2007.
The Newport Company was formed in 1980 and has managed all aspects of the real estate industry. Its base of operations is Irvine, Ca. They manage 61 other communities in San Diego County and have an Accredited Management Organization(AMO) designation.
The council authorized a contract with the Newport Company for one year, with two one-year mutual options. Any expenditures over $1,000 must be submitted to the city for approval. There is a 30-day termination clause.
De Anza residents have been given monetary incentives of relocation expenses by the city, but the longer they stay, the less relocation money they will receive before 2008. They were told in the early 1980s their leases with the city would end in 2003.
