Sterling Shores residents urge Lake County supervisors to demand park finances and impose moratorium on pass-through fees

Dozens of Sterling Shores Mobile Home Park residents and housing advocates told the Lake County Board of Supervisors on March 3 that the park operator has added new pass-through fees that are squeezing seniors and low‑income residents.

"We are asking for just of Sterling Shores, profit and loss statements from Sterling Shores," said Ted Macleide, a Sterling Shores resident, asking the board to seek itemized financial records for the park operator identified by commenters as Caritas. Multiple speakers described mailing and administrative charges on rent statements — including a $1.25 mailing fee and a $3.30 portal fee — and said those sums are being assessed even when residents do not use the services.

Why it matters: Commenters said the new charges are affecting residents who live on fixed incomes, reducing local spending and threatening housing stability. "This is a form of elder abuse, and it needs to be stopped," said Elizabeth Cherco, a 93‑year‑old park resident who said she has lived at Sterling Shores for 23 years.

Speakers recounted multiple forms of distress. Tom Flanagan asked why the board had not moved more quickly and cited a figure of $450,000 in pass-throughs from a first round of charges, saying that amount could overwhelm vulnerable households and local social-service systems. Jody Johnson, volunteer vice president for GSMOL, urged an immediate temporary moratorium to preserve affordability and buy time to craft a rent‑stabilization ordinance.

Board response and next steps: The board closed the public‑comment period without taking immediate action on a moratorium. Chair Rasmussen reminded speakers that the board does not respond to or deliberate on public comment during that portion of the meeting but said the county has the commenters' information. Several supervisors later raised the issue during the subsequent housing workshop discussion and encouraged residents to participate in the county's 30‑day public‑review process for housing programs. No formal vote or moratorium was adopted at the March 3 meeting.

Context and details: Commenters said the park operator billed residents for maintenance and infrastructure costs that some residents say should be covered by the owner. One caller said owners were imposing pass-throughs in anticipation of a possible local rent‑stabilization ordinance. Another commenter referenced a reported $350 monthly increase being considered by a separate park operator named Harmony.

What residents asked: Request access to Sterling Shores' profit‑and‑loss statements; place a retroactive moratorium on pass‑through fees; and add a rent‑stabilization ordinance (RSO) to a future board agenda so the county can protect long‑term, fixed‑income residents.

The board did not adopt emergency policy at the March 3 meeting; residents were told to follow the county's engagement channels and the 30‑day comment period for the pro‑housing designation application for further public input.