A California community was ordered to clean up or be evicted by county officials after finding residents living in unclean and dangerous conditions.
The settlement, called ‘Yee Haw’, is located on the Redwood Coast near the seaside resort of Trinidad and is owned by Charles Garth.
His tenants describe him as a man deeply committed to serving his community and willing to share his sanctuary with those in need.
But during the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors meeting on September 24, he was portrayed as an irresponsible man and a 39-week plan was invoked to force the council to clear the property or move on.
Photos shown at the meeting depict the community as one filled with makeshift outbuildings made of plywood and buckets. Containers of human waste are seen among the illegally built houses.
The Yee Haw commune, located on the Redwood Coast, is in turmoil after provincial officials instituted a 39-week plan to force the community to clean up the property or face eviction.
Charles Garth owns the property near the seaside resort of Trinidad.
Photos shown at the meeting depicted a community filled with makeshift outbuildings made of plywood and buckets, containers littered with human waste and illegally built homes.
John Ford, the county’s director of planning and construction, claims Garth owes $63,000 in fines, penalties and administrative fees.
Garth failed to pay those fines even though a lien had been filed on the property, it was alleged.
“There are adults and children living in these buildings without minimum safety standards,” Ford said.
For about 40 years, the community has been home to Humboldt County residents who are financially down on their luck or choose to live off the land.
They began clashing with county officials in May 2001, when they were served abatement orders after dangerous code violations were found on the property by the Planning and Construction Department.
Yee Haw township was labeled as a 30-acre hazardous area with violations including a lack of fire and carbon dioxide detectors, electrical hazards, wood-burning stoves without flues and unsafe structures.
The province’s director of planning and construction, John Ford, is concerned about adults and children living in buildings ‘without minimum safety standards’
Ford claims Garth owes $63,000 in penalties, fines and administrative fees
For about 40 years, the community has been home to Humboldt County residents who are struggling financially or dreaming of living off the land.
They also noted 14 demolition vehicles that some residents occupied in 2021 with barrels of human waste in the trunk.
But Garth and other Yee Haw residents said this recent assessment does not reflect the state of the community as the last inspection was in 2022 and the photos shown at the September 24 board meeting were from 2018.
Ford confirmed that their inquisition into the Garth community stems from complaints from the surrounding community.
A Yee Haw tenant who has lived there with her family for five years said she knows from the outside that they look like a “bunch of dirty hippies,” but she appreciates her community and the cabin where she lives.
She said the community temporarily houses people teetering on homelessness in the area.
They began clashing with county officials in May 2001 when they were served abatement orders after dangerous code violations were found on the property by the Planning and Construction Department.
According to the Arcata House Partnership, 1,700 people, or 1% of the population, are homeless in Humboldt County
Less than half of the tenants living in the municipality pay rent. Those who do pay about $50 to $200, depending on their income
About 1,700 people, or 1% of the population, are homeless in Humboldt County, according to the data. Arcata House Partnership.
Less than half of the tenants living in the municipality pay rent. Those who do pay about $50 to $200 depending on their income, SFGate reported.
Supervisors said at the end of the meeting that an inspection of the property would be conducted to see if tenant claims that the violations were inaccurate were justified.
They approved the demolition and evacuation plan of Planning and Building with 39 wheels.
Garth said: “If it makes the government happy, I will do it” in response to the province’s question about whether he would be willing to clean up Yee Haw.