OXNARD : Controversial Owner of Trailer Park Dies
The owner of a run-down Oxnard trailer park died Wednesday at Westlake Community Hospital after an apparent heart attack at his Malibu Canyon home.
Richard M. Walbergh was pronounced dead at 4:10 a.m., according to the coroner’s office. He was 65.
The Malibu real estate investor owned the Oxnard Mobilehome Lodge, a five-acre park that has about 1,100 residents and an average of 28 trailers per acre. The park has gained notoriety in recent years because of repeated health and safety code violations.
In an interview last month, Walbergh said he had poured thousands of dollars into making repairs at the trailer park and that he planned to bring the park into compliance with state law.
“His death was a shock,” said William R. Derrick, who manages the Commercial Avenue park. “But we plan to move forward with plans to make repairs out there.”
Tenants at the Mobilehome Lodge, mostly farm workers and their families, have accused Walbergh of neglecting the decay of the park.
“It’s unfortunate,” said Eileen McCarthy, the attorney representing the tenants. “It remains to be seen how (Walbergh’s death) will impact conditions at the park.”
Walbergh owned the park with his wife, Mary Lou.
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