A winery owner in California is suing Santa Clara County after being fined more than $120,000 for allowing a long-term employee to live in an RV on the property for a number of years.
According to The Mercury News, Michael Ballard, whose family owns Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards south of San Francisco, claims he was punished by the county for breaking local zoning restrictions that forbid RV habitation on either public or private property.
The vineyard manager, Marcelino Martinez, revealed that his family had trouble finding cheap accommodation in the area after losing their trailer lease years prior. Martinez, his wife, and their kids were given refuge in 2013 when the Ballard family permitted them to live in an RV on the vineyard.
Ballard said to the newspaper, “I couldn’t make a family homeless for arbitrary reasons.” “Any harm or annoyance that their continuous habitation in the trailer was going to cause was outweighed by the human impact.”
But the county started fining the RV $1,000 a day in July 2019; eventually, the fine was dropped to $250 a day. Ballard did not agree to timeframes for correcting the issues, according to the county, which contests the overall amount of fines. If he agrees to remove the RV, officials reportedly offered large reductions in charges.
Paul Avelar, Ballard’s attorney, claims that the county’s enforcement activities and imposition of “excessive fines” violate the U.S. Constitution.
Ballard also voiced concern about the county’s preference for punishing him than dealing with more significant problems. “Go anywhere in the county to see the numerous mobile homes parked there. Everywhere you look, there are encampments,” he said.
“The problem is overt and evident, but they’re choosing to prosecute us in what is likely the least invasive example of this—where we’re not disturbing anyone and are allowing someone to live on private property in a private location.”
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