www.montereycountynow.com MAY 30-JUNE 5, 2024 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 11 North County-based Ruvalcaba Nursery is a staple at farmers markets in nearby Watsonville and beyond, where owner Ana Ruvalcaba stands surrounded by colorful flowers as she peddles her wares. In May 2023, authorities reportedly discovered the Royal Oaks nursery was housing nearly 300 people in makeshift dwellings and squalid conditions. In the year since, the nursery installed a gate at the entrance to its property on the 1100 block of San Miguel Canyon Road, warning that trespassers will be prosecuted. Nearly 30 tenants sued the landlords, Ruvalcaba and her husband Nicolas, alleging dangerous housing conditions. The case was further complicated in March when the Monterey County District Attorney filed criminal and civil charges against the Ruvalcabas, with three felony counts of tax evasion, one misdemeanor count for failing to secure workers comp insurance, and seven misdemeanor counts related to housing conditions on the property. The Ruvalcabas were arrested by Monterey police on March 27, and each posted $30,000 bonds, according to court documents. The couple has not publicly addressed the case, and their attorney, John P. Hannon, did not respond to a request for comment. However, in court documents, the Ruvalcabas denied the allegations brought forward by the plaintiffs. “We have not done any act which causes harm,” Nicolas Ruvalcaba wrote in court documents. Both sides in the case, Laura Espinoza, et al. vs. Nicolas Ruvalcaba, et al., met in court on Tuesday, May 21 for a case management conference. The judge designated the case as complex due to the number of plaintiffs and the new charges filed in March. The designation paves the way for the parties to decide how to continue the case in an efficient manner. Another case management conference is scheduled for September. The plaintiffs are represented by California Rural Legal Assistance. Not speaking on the specific case, Staff Attorney Tyler Sullivan says the state’s housing crisis is particularly severe in Monterey County, where a large population of farmworkers reside. There are some landlords that seek out “desperate” tenants by offering lower rents, but in doing so, provide inadequate living quarters, such as refusing to repair things that break or allowing overcrowded conditions, Sullivan notes. “There is a market for that,” he says. “Those conditions exist in Monterey County and we see a lot of it to varying degrees.” Landlords have much less risk when it comes to tenant disputes that go to court, while the tenant risks losing their housing. Sullivan recommends tenants understand their rights and do their research, as well as keep written records for everything, including rent receipts and repair requests. “There are solutions to the housing challenges we face,” he says. “There is not one housing project or city that is going to solve the housing crisis. Every little bit counts and will help.” No Way Home A North County housing case inches through the criminal and civil court process. By Erik Chalhoub A gate has been installed to the entrance of Ruvalcaba Nursery on San Miguel Canyon Road in Royal Oaks. The driveway was once open to passersby, and even captured by Google Street View in 2023. NEWS “We have not done any act which causes harm.” ERIK CHALHOUB
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