The State - News from May 5, 1986

Squatters are being evicted from their oceanfront and mountain “homes” on some of California’s choicest sites--its scenic state parks. The Legislature has outlawed the mobile home shantytowns that have enabled families to live at the prime sites for small camping fees. Some squatters say they can’t afford to live elsewhere. “They say we are a hindrance,” complained Ellen Johnston, who lives at a $6-a-night Half Moon Bay Beach campsite with her husband and two teen-age children. “Who are we hurting?” State park rangers are sympathetic, but say the squatters get in the way of recreation. “We’re not in the business of being a residential community,” said Ken Boynton, a ranger in the Santa Cruz Mountains. “We have people in our campground who have motor homes worth more than most homes in the county.” A new state law took effect April 1 that restricts camping permits to a maximum of 30 days a year.