Orcutt resident says he’s lost mobile home in dispute with park ownership

ORCUTT, Calif. — A dispute between an Orcutt resident and the owners of Del Cielo Mobile Estates took another turn Friday morning during an auction held at the park's clubhouse.

Frank Carreras, a resident of the park, claims ownership of a mobile home in Space 21, which he says he purchased nearly two years ago. According to Carreras, he has spent more than $62,000 on renovations to the home. However, Harmony Communities, a Stockton-based company that acquired the park last year, disputes his ownership, alleging the home has been vacant for some time.

Carreras said the auction, described as a lien sale, resulted in the property being sold to an unknown woman. He also claimed he has been barred from the property by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

"The sheriff told me I’m not allowed back into the property and that I could be subject to arrest," Carreras said. "He said it’s now a civil issue, and the lien sale has gone through."

According to Carreras, the sale stemmed from alleged unpaid rent and fees. Harmony Communities claimed Carreras failed to pay rent for October, November, and December, as well as storage and attorney fees. The company also stated that Carreras had not applied for residency at Space 21.

Carreras, however, maintains he provided the payments and only withheld applying for residency because he had not yet moved into the property. He said the checks for the disputed payments were returned to him on Thursday, just one day before the auction.

"I paid everything, even extra, because they stopped sending me rent statements for Space 21," Carreras said. "Yesterday, I found the three checks they claimed they didn’t receive in an envelope on my back door."

Carreras provided News Channel with evidence of the returned cashier’s checks and money orders, along with letters from Harmony Communities stating the payments were not accepted due to his lack of a rental or storage agreement.

The sale price of the mobile home and the identity of the buyer remain unknown. A small group of residents, including Carreras, had planned to attend the auction but were denied entry.

"They locked us out of the clubhouse," said Sue DeWeese, another Del Cielo resident. "The clubhouse is supposed to be accessible to residents at all times. This auction should have been conducted transparently."

DeWeese criticized the decision to conduct what she described as a "private" auction and said law enforcement was unnecessarily called to the scene.

"They called the sheriff on us and referred to us as a mob," DeWeese said. "There were maybe eight people here. Harmony doesn’t operate transparently. They like to hide."

Harmony Communities declined to comment on the dispute or provide details about the auction. In previous communications with News Channel, the company stated it was "following California Civil Code 798 to the T." Harmony also questioned Carreras’ claim of ownership, his lack of a rental agreement, and the legitimacy of his renovation expenses.

The dispute between Carreras and Harmony is part of a broader conflict between the company and Del Cielo residents. Shortly after acquiring the park, Harmony announced plans to transition the senior-only community, which has served residents aged 55 and older for more than 60 years, into an all-ages community. The move sparked backlash from residents and prompted the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to enact a temporary moratorium on such conversions. Harmony has since filed a lawsuit against the county over the moratorium.

Carreras, who has lived in Del Cielo for several years, said he intends to fight the auction and remain in the community.

"I’ve never been through anything like this," Carreras said. "I’ve never lost this kind of money. I don’t know how I’m going to recover financially."

Carreras said his next step is to take the matter to court. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15 in Lompoc.

"I’ve served Nick Ubaldi, Harmony’s manager, with certified mail," Carreras said. "We’ll see if he shows up, and we’ll let the judge decide."