Mobile home park residents settle suit over unsafe water
Residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park near Thermal, along with a tenant association they formed, have reached a settlement in a long-running civil suit against the park owners over contaminated drinking water and other issues.
Twenty-two residents of the mobile home park, located on the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians' tribal land, filed a lawsuit in January 2021, alleging they were exposed to contaminated drinking water, charged fraudulent electricity rates and have seen "cesspools" of sewage. The lawsuit brought 20 causes of action against park owner Scott Lawson, who died in May 2021, and his daughter Sabrina, who helps manage the park.
Oasis Mobile Home Park has been repeatedly cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in recent years for water that's contaminated with dangerous levels of arsenic. Arsenic is a natural element that can be found in rocks, soil, water and air. Drinking high levels over many years can increase one's risk of several health conditions, such as lung, bladder and skin cancers, heart disease, diabetes and neurological damage.
The residents of the lawsuit were represented by the nonprofit advocacy organization Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability and joined by a resident-created community group called Juntos Por Un Mejor Oasis, or "Together for a Better Oasis."
In an announcement of the settlement, the Leadership Counsel didn't say whether the park owners paid the tenants any money. But the group said the settlement includes tenant protections, such as requiring the owners:
Not to retaliate against the Plaintiffs or any member of Juntos Por Un Mejor Oasis for participation in the suit
Not to evict any resident of Oasis Mobile Home Park, except for nonpayment of rent after 30 days written notice and opportunity to enroll in a payment plan;
Not to raise space rent more than once annually, capped at 5% per year and following 90 days written notice
Not to take any action or threaten to lock out tenants or disconnect electricity or other utilities for nonpayment of rent
Only to charge for rent, utilities, and incidental reasonable charges for
services actually rendered, and to stop charging an “IID Fee” not actually charged by Imperial Irrigation District
Not to exclude representatives of the plaintiffs from the Park for the purpose of meetings in their spaces
"We hope that the settlement agreement is honored in its entirety, ensuring the prevention of retaliation, among other protections,” Juntos said in a statement. "This agreement must be accompanied by extensive efforts to ensure relocation of current residents, prevention of new residents moving into the park, and ultimately the closure of the park."
The Leadership Counsel said the settlement does not resolve an ongoing federal lawsuit brought by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in August 2023. That suit alleges that the mobile home park has failed for years to maintain safe drinking and waste water systems for as many as 1,500 residents. The civil complaint asks a federal judge to order the park's management to address the unsafe conditions, comply with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and pay a penalty.
Riverside County officials have spent the past few years working to relocate residents from Oasis Mobile Home Park through the Oasis Housing Opportunity Program. The Desert Sun reported last year that in the prior three years, the county helped relocate 74 families from the park, which had 241 occupied spaces when the county first became involved in the relocation process. However, residents said during an April 2023 county board of supervisors meeting that new trailers continued to pop up in the community.
Juntos Por Un Mejor Oasis said in the press release that it looks forward to working with Riverside County, the EPA, the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Tribe and others to ensure that all remaining residents are relocated to safe and affordable housing.
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.