For two years since Sharon Green was evicted from her apartment at Heritage Oaks, she has been a familiar face at city council meetings, speaking out against her “no-cause” eviction in 2010. On April 23, three Court of Appeals judges unanimously ruled in her favor.
Green, 70, was receiving a low-income rental subsidy at the time of her eviction, and claimed , a redevelopment agency project, could not evict her without good cause. She also claimed the city’s low-income Housing Authority Program should ensure that all residents living in properties receiving local public funds are protected.
Following her eviction, Green, a disabled senior, said she has been living in a tent in a campground at Lytle Creek in San Bernardino County, weathering cold wind, rain, snow and extreme heat.
Since Green came forward with her case, Glendora city officials have maintained that they never had any involvement with Green’s eviction.
“This case is Anchor Pacifica management versus Sharon Green,” said City Attorney Wayne Leech during a city council meeting. “The city of Glendora is not involved.”
Heritage Oaks’ management Anchor Pacifica has stated it did not have to provide Green a reason for her eviction.
Green believes she was evicted because she spoke out against “problems” at Heritage Oaks, including hazardous traffic near the apartments which she claims contributed to an accident that left her injured.
The Second District Court of Appeals ruled that as a joint enterprise with the city receiving public funds, Anchor Pacifica could not evict Green without good cause, according to court records.
Although the court found evidence that the city continued to provide rental subsidies to qualified low-income residents as mandated by law, the court’s ruling indicated that the city also has responsibility in ensuring that residents receiving subsidies are protected from no-cause evictions, according to Green's attorneys.
Kristen Parisi, a former city council candidate and supporter of Green, told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that the city could no longer claim no involvement in Green’s case.
“The court’s ruling means the city and its Affordable Housing Program must now ensure that all proper policy, procedures and notifications are in place to protect the due process rights of the tenants,” Parisi told the Tribune.
Since coming forward, Green has stated that her case has been treated with ambivalence from city officials and has relied on the help of friends and local supporters during her years of homelessness.
“Sharon is a kind-hearted caring person who is honest not crazy, as some have referred to her as,” Linda Mansour, Green’s former neighbor at Heritage Oaks and friend, said during an April 24 city council meeting.
According to the Tribune, Green’s attorneys are negotiating her return to Heritage Oaks.
Green said she will continue to fight for the rights of senior citizens receiving low-income housing subsidies from the city and ensure that aid is protected by the city.
“My main concern is that the new department for housing authority read this [court ruling] and learn to protect any tenant receiving a subsidy in the city from being evicted for no reason,” Green said.
In a previous version of this article, Kristen Parisi was identified as a former city councilmember. Parisi is a former city council candidate. Patch regrets the error.
