Trailer Park Group in Carson Accuses Planning Official of Interest Conflict

A group of Carson mobile home residents has asked the city to investigate Planning Commission Chairman Francisco (Frank) Gutierrez for alleged conflict of interest, contending that he personally profited from one developer’s residential projects in the city.

In a three-page letter delivered last week to Carson officials, an attorney for Homeowners Against Rent Decontrol also said Gutierrez should be disqualified from acting on closures of mobile home parks in Carson because of his alleged business ties with David Thomas, president of Thomas Development Inc. The Torrance company has built at least one housing development in Carson and is attempting to close a mobile home park in the city.

“Commissioner Gutierrez has formed a business relationship with a major developer in the city of Carson and operates from offices maintained by that developer and which are used by the developer in connection with applications before the Planning Commission,” attorney Greg Stefflre alleged in the letter.

Efforts to reach Gutierrez and Thomas for comment Saturday. were unsuccessful. But a secretary at the firm, who declined to give her name, said Friday that Gutierrez “works with the company” but not for the firm and was unavailable. She took a message for him.

Michelle Bagneris, Carson assistant city attorney, said Friday that her office had received a copy of the group’s complaint but that it probably will not begin an investigation because conflict-of-interest allegations are more appropriately investigated by the district attorney or state Fair Political Practices Commission. As such, she said, her office will notify the group’s attorney that their complaint should be made to the state agency or district attorney.

Leaders of Homeowners Against Rent Decontrol, a lobbying group for residents of the city’s two dozen mobile home parks, said they will press city officials for an investigation at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. The group has long been active in mobile home park issues in Carson.

In his Jan. 27 letter, Stefflre alleged that Gutierrez is “unquestionably disqualified” to participate in any hearing on mobile home park regulations in Carson because he has “directly monetarily benefited” from decisions involving the closure of mobile home parks in the city.

“Commissioner Gutierrez has personal financial interests in lowering the costs of mobile home park closures (and quite probably in all regulations affecting the costs of operating mobile home parks) in that he is engaged in real estate businesses with David Thomas of Thomas Development Inc.,” Stefflre wrote.

Specifically, Stefflre said, county records show that Gutierrez filed statements in August, 1990, registering the names David Thomas & Associates Realty , and Palm Court Villas Realty as businesses. Both of the companies, records show, list the same Torrance address as Thomas Development Inc.

As Stefflre noted, Thomas Development Inc. was the developer of Palm Court Villas, a project that required the approval of the Planning Commission. The development, in the 22100 block of Dolores Street, consists of 16 single-family homes that are said to be among the most expensive in Carson with prices from the mid-$300,000s to the mid-$400,000s.

Further, Stefflre said, Thomas Development Inc. is seeking the city’s approval to close Vera Carson Mobilehome Estates, an 80-unit park at 21711 S. Vera St.

Although complete records of Gutierrez’s votes on Thomas Development matters were unavailable Friday because City Hall was closed, minutes of one August, 1991, vote on Vera Carson show that Gutierrez was absent.

Bagneris said the planning commissioner abstained from voting at last Tuesday’s meeting on a mobile home park item after receiving a copy of the complaint filed by Homeowners Against Rent Decontrol.

But Connie Hathaway, chairwoman of the mobile home park group, claimed that Gutierrez voted on at least one of the three Thomas Development projects built in Carson in the last several years. That vote, she said, was for approval of the Palm Court Villas project.

Hathaway also said Gutierrez should resign immediately.

“He’s not been truthful to the residents of the city of Carson,” Hathaway said. “I feel that he is biased. If you’re sitting on a committee, you’re supposed to be objective.”

She alleged that Gutierrez is a “straw,” or front, for developers on Carson projects.

“He probably figured he could get by with it just like he did with the county of Los Angeles,” Hathaway said.

In 1989, Gutierrez was fired from his job as a high-ranking Los Angeles County health inspector for not disclosing his ties to slumlords while he served as chairman of an interagency slum housing task force in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Deputy City Atty. Stephanie Sautner said.

She said Gutierrez was a business associate of slumlords the city was investigating and is suspected of having leaked information about the task force to the slumlords.

Gutierrez has sued the county over his firing. The suit is pending.

He has served several terms on the Planning Commission since first being nominated by Councilwoman Kay Calas and appointed by the council in July, 1979, when Calas was mayor.