Santa Rosa tenants sue over mold, bug infestation

Patricia King’s troubles began when she said rain poured into her Santa Rosa apartment through a crack in the ceiling and puddled on the carpeted floor.

When she complained to the manager of Vista Sonoma Senior Living, she said she was told to put a bucket under it.

Soon, she said a thick layer of mold appeared, triggering two severe asthma attacks she said left her hospitalized and close to death.

“The apartment was making me sick,” the 64-year-old disabled woman said Friday as she walked through the Townview Avenue one-bedroom. “Blood tests showed it was something in my environment.”

Last week, the disabled woman fired back, suing the apartment owners and manager Jennifer Johnson.

King and former tenant Susan Dean Ridge allege mold and other problems such as bug infestation were allowed to continue unchecked, endangering tenants.

They also accuse the owners of intimidation by threatening to evict mostly low-income residents “who do not have the power or ability to protect their rights,” the suit said.

“Everyone is afraid to come forward,” King said. “I’m trying to give them a voice.”

Reached at her office Friday, Johnson declined to comment, referring questions to officials at Folsom-based FPI Management. A message left for Bonnie Darrah, senior vice president, was not returned.

King’s suit also names Hearthstone Housing Foundation of Newport Beach. Socorro Vasquez, Hearthstone’s executive director, did not return a call.

Vista Sonoma, renamed Vintage at Bennett Valley, is a 55-and-over complex perched high on a hill overlooking east Santa Rosa. Its website describes luxury, affordable apartments with “resort-style amenities” and rents starting at $910 a month.

King, who lives on a fixed income, said she moved in December 2012. That winter, faulty flashing on the exterior walls allowed rain to seep in, she said. King said mold grew on her floor and walls, making the unit uninhabitable.

She thought of moving but could not find a place she could afford.

“There was so much mold there were black bubbles on the walls,” she said. “Who lives like that?”

Hers wasn’t the only apartment affected. King said mold was a chronic problem throughout the 100-unit complex. The managers knew about it but failed to take appropriate action, she alleges.

At the same time, King said the apartments suffered bug infestation and tenants were forced to ingest “dead bug body parts, bug feces and bug allergens,” the suit said.

King said those who complained were evicted. Ridge was among them, she said.

Her suit alleges the conduct was “outrageous and beyond all boundaries of decency and reasonable civilized conduct.”

“Just because we don’t have money doesn’t mean we have to live in deplorable conditions,” King said.

King and Ridge aren’t the only tenants upset with conditions.

Karen Hansell of Ukiah has been trying to help her ex-spouse, Jeff Smith, 71, a disabled Vietnam veteran, recover from what she called the stress from living with persistent mold and bugs.

She criticized Johnson’s style, which she said was intimidating, and is considering whether to join the lawsuit. She said some people who were forced out are now homeless.

“There have been people whose lives have been ruined,” said Hansell, a paralegal.

City code enforcement documents from 2016 listed complaints about mold and pests and noted “numerous violations.”

On Friday, King walked the grounds with her Santa Rosa lawyer, Joe Bisbiglia. She pointed to dark stains on exterior siding she said was mold. Construction workers appeared to be removing some siding. In some areas, they had exposed what appeared to be rotting plywood.

King said her apartment was recently renovated. Despite the fresh coat of paint, she said mold still exists in the walls.

“Unless you strip it down to the two-by-fours, mold will still be in this apartment,” King said.