For residents of the Bo-Linda Vista R.V. park, the road to permanent housing has been a full of obstacles—but it may yet end in success. In the summer of 2022, the county red-tagged farmworker housing at a Bolinas ranch due to health and safety violations. The landlords were collecting rent from agricultural workers who lived in dilapidated structures and trailers in poor conditions, an unlawful housing practice. Soon after, a group of 60 current and former tenants filed a lawsuit demanding compensation.
The receiver in charge of the ranch is now in the process of selling the land to the Bolinas Community Land Trust, which secured an emergency permit from the county to create the temporary R.V. park next door. Nearly all the residents of the park are Latino, and some lived at the Tacherra ranch for over 20 years. Their children attend local schools, and they were born and raised on the ranch. Bolinas is their home.
Since the park’s inception, Bo-Linda Vista has received widespread support from the community and public agencies and officials. Yet residents have felt like they must continuously fight to protect themselves from dissenting neighbors who do not want to see their housing solution prosper.
Opponents of the R.V. park have sued the county, citing environmental impacts and zoning rules. The county and the California Coastal Commission have argued that the land was previously disturbed by chicken coups and other construction.
Dissenters have also raised concerns about the project’s strain on the village’s water supply, fearing future droughts. But the town’s utility district board voted unanimously to approve water connections for Bo-Linda, stating that the park’s water usage is significantly below the state average.
Residents say that throughout the process, opponents have harassed them on social networking sites like Nextdoor, stating that they would rather see an empty field than housing for workers. Ingris Yanet Lopez, who lives at the park, had this message to the community: “Please do not continue to use your privilege, your extra time, your money and your education to fight to deny us the hope of a better future for our children.”
Residents feel they live in a perpetual state of scrutiny and citizen policing. Every decision they make must take optics into account, weighing how their neighbors will view it—and possibly turn it against them. They strictly follow all the guidelines in their leases as if one error could lead to their displacement.
Housing scarcity across the coast only adds to their sense of uncertainty and anxiety. They have organized and provided testimony at county and community hearings to demonstrate why they should be allowed to remain in Bolinas. While most folks are unwinding after a long day on the job, Bo-Linda residents say they must work to defend their homes, efforts that cut into family time and moments of rest.
Despite the turbulence, the residents enjoy the peaceful nature of the mesa, with soaring birds and grazing livestock. The neighborhood is quiet, and the air is still. Inside the trailers, families are growing together, children are studying with university aspirations in mind, and there are genuine moments of shared joy.
