As a local pilot who has been around AJX consistently year-round since 2016, flying consistently at AJX since 2017, someone who has spent years serving on the CSS board as communications director & vice president, and as someone who is currently serving on the LSFFC (the XC Ranch), I feel that I have a bit more insight into this situation than those of you who spend far less time at the LZ.

I’m not trying to detract from people’s personal observations or opinions, I’m listening, but I’m also trying to caution some of you that by visiting AJX only a few times a year (if that), you may not be privy to all the going-ons and you may not be as aware of the personality whose motivations may not be as based in protecting the club, as they are personal.

There is a process that must be followed in order to take away someone’s legitimate membership. If we pick and choose who gets to benefit from that process and who doesn’t deserve to benefit from that process, we are abusing our powers. It doesn’t matter whether we like the individual, we have to give them a chance to speak and to be heard. That’s what we’ve always done for those whose membership status was under review.

I’ve had people reach out to me to let me know they support my stance, and also to clarify some of these claims. I am now more certain than ever that there is a bigger problem here, possibly a bigger threat to the CSS than I could have imagined, and as I suspected, that problem is not Steve R. I’ll leave it at that.

Jana, I am unclear what “water pipe” issue you are referring to in regards to this letter.

To your second point of enabling him to squat on neighboring land: How can we say that allowing him to use the club’s resources has “nothing” to do with enabling him to squat on our neighbor’s property?? Those resources are directly supporting his sustainability there. We cannot simply turn a blind eye the second anyone steps off CSS property. If we or others witness activity that directly puts the CSS at risk, we must act, especially as board members who look through the lens of site sustainability and preservation.

The board was and continues to be concerned with Steve’s squatting. When you ask why the board didn’t trespass Steve last year, he was not on our land, so we have no discourse. The board expected that the formal enforcement action by the Sheriff’s department and Encore would serve as the definitive legal boundary. Club members spent months attempting to facilitate a voluntary, orderly transition. Members repeatedly approached Steve to ask for his plan and offer support, choosing to give him an opportunity to comply on his own accord. Steve willfully ignored the legal reality of the situation. When presented with opportunities and resources to relocate, he consistently refused assistance, shifted blame onto club leadership, and explicitly stated that he had no intention of moving.

When he did vacate the neighbor’s property almost 11 months after being formally notified in writing, he showed up on CSS property a few days later, we believe on the 10th of June. On the 11th, he personally messaged Mimi asking for permission to “work out something” with him and the club’s position on the matter where she responded by saying: “I’m sure you knew I wouldn’t be able to give you permission to disobey the laws that were already being enforced, right?”. He was asked to leave multiple times by multiple people and it was met with resistance and excuses. On the 12th of June, after lots of discussion among the board, we opted to use the SB city app to file a report with the city and made sure to note the history of this situation for context. This discussion continued heavily through the 13th and with a majority vote, we decided to call the SB police and request a citation for trespass. When the police showed up in the afternoon, there were no board members present to represent the club so, no trespass was enforced to my knowledge. That was the only time the police were called to this situation on the board’s behalf.

I hope this timeline gives anyone some context for how long and arduous this process has been.

Ben,

The water pipe I’m referring to is the one that was located near the stables on the XC ranch, where Steve was getting his water at the time. That water was being utilized by other campers back when the XC ranch offered visiting pilots camping spots.

If Steve hanging out at the LZ and using the sink, refrigerator and power is enabling his squatting, then by that logic, the local grocery store where he’s able to replenish his groceries, is also enabling his squatting. He’s not breaking any laws by hanging out at the LZ and Encore should be satisfied that Steve is no longer trespassing on their land.

When I say the board should have trespassed him last summer after it received the letter, I mean the board should have warned him that if he continued to squat on Encore property, he would not be welcomed at the LZ and trespassed from CSS property if he didn’t comply with Encore.

If the board was aware that his squatting was a problem back then, why act now that he’s no longer on the property? He’s no longer causing an issue with Encore and the club. It’s a little late to be trespassing him from the CSS now that he’s finally complying. The police told Steve they were called three times by a club member, they said he was not wanted on club property, but I wasn’t there, so I can’t confirm their exact phrasing.

I understand that the board took a vote on this, but it doesn’t mean that the decision must absolutely stand, or that it cannot be revisited and revised after a club member discussion. We had multiple discussions about past problem members/non-members and they were given an opportunity to defend themselves in front of the general membership before action was taken.

All I ask is that Steve is granted some leniency now that he’s complying, considering everything he’s done for the club over the many years. If he was a source of repeated offenses and problems over the last decade and didn’t contribute anything to the club, I wouldn’t feel inclined to defend him. However, I (and many others, including Luke) have witnessed him being very useful and helpful around the property, and it pains me that someone would hassle him, especially during a very stressful time, when he was trying to figure out his living situation on incredibly limited resources.

It’s easy for many of us to say “Just move! Get a job! Call this number!” If Steve was capable of that level of problem-solving, he wouldn’t be in this situation. He does work for the little money he has, as pilots pay him to fold their wings, drive, or assist with other tasks. He is trying to live as close to a normal life as is possible for him.

Also, as someone who has tried to use government resources, I can’t begin to express to you how frustrating it is to get anything done by “calling” for help. Even with my abilities to communicate, it was a nightmare that got me nowhere in the end. In my opinion Steve requires and deserves some grace, as long as he continues to stay off Encore property.

Mimi,

The letter from last summer is referring to the water hose located at the XC ranch, which was extended onto the neighboring property before Encore had purchased the land, and it was removed after the complaint. The CSS had nothing to do with this water pipe, or enabling Steve to stay on their property.

If Steve chooses to visit the CSS property and uses the water and power at the LZ, that has nothing to do with enabling him to squat on neighboring lands. What he does outside the club property is none of our business and what he does on the CSS property is none of Encore’s business.

As for “private” messages, Steve chose to share that communication with us and we have a right to have an opinion. He hasn’t signed an NDA and he doesn’t agree with Luke’s reasoning. Neither do I. It is relevant information. Using someone’s job or residence status as reason to give, or take away club membership is wrong. Those are personal preferences, not legal reasons.

If the board was so concerned with Steve’s squatting, they should have trespassed him last year when the letter from Encore arrived and while he was still squatting on their property. You and Luke decided to trespass him AFTER he vacated the Encore property and AFTER he left the CSS property. Make it make sense.

I was on the board for years, before either of you volunteered, and I don’t ever remember having to deal with Steve as a club problem. I do remember having to deal with other much more serious threats to the club, but not Steve, so I don’t know what your’e talking about when you say “extensive, complicated history”.

Luke,

Did Encore sign an agreement with the club that if you kicked Steve out of the CSS, they would no longer consider building homes next to the LZ? Did you get anything close to a pinky promise? Are they sitting outside the club property with binoculars, looking for Steve’s presence at the LZ?

I would like to remind you (as well as the rest of the board) that we elected you to be our representatives, representing our wishes and majority opinion to the community when necessary. We elected you to make sure the club is insured to keep the DWR happy. What we did not do, is elect you to role-play as a social worker who concerns himself with how, or where any of us live our lives outside of the CSS property. We did not elect you to make big, sweeping decisions like kicking people out from the property without first consulting us.

You are a member pilot just like the rest of us, nothing more, nothing less. You are supposed to protect the club’s 501(c) status by holding meetings and getting the minutes posted, so that all club members who wish to know what’s going on behind the scenes, get to access that information at will. The board is putting the club’s non-profit status at risk by not adhering to these simple rules.

If you want to remove Steve from the CSS, then put it to a club vote. I promise that if the majority of the club decides that they want him to leave, I will drop this subject. If they decide he should be allowed to stay, you will need to respect our wishes and let him stay. If you can’t do that, then I will not be able to support you in good conscience during the next election.

I don’t think that Steve’s presence or membership status at the CSS is going to make-or-break whatever the developer decides to do. They want their extra millions whether or not Steve is here. He’s been more of an asset to the club than he is a liability.

If this is true, will Steve have an opportunity to remove any garbage left behind to make good with the developer? Was Steve informed that not removing the garbage from Encore property would result in him being trespassed from club property?

Hi Mimi, can you please explain how Steve’s presence on CSS property during the day, as a club member, puts the club in danger? He vacated the developer’s property, so how exactly is he threatening the club today? Why does the developer have any power over who we accept as visitors or members once they’re off their property? If Steve is not parking his trailer on the club property overnight, how is he violating the no-camping rule?

Is there proof of this “illegal dumping”? What are you referring to exactly? I’ve seen Steve help take the club trash out and he takes it where he’s asked to take it, sometimes with the help of other club members.

What club rules has Steve broken exactly? Is there proof of him breaking these rules? Witnesses? How is he using the club facilities differently compared to other members? He uses the refrigerator, the water and power to charge his phone. Are there other “unauthorized” ways in which he’s been using the facilities?

As for the calls, the police told him it was a club member who called and asked that he be removed, said “they don’t want you here”, so it was unlikely to be a neighbor.