By CCT STAFF
Peoples’ Self-Help Housing is in escrow to purchase a property on North 4th Street in Pismo Beach where they plan to temporary house homeless young adults and to provide low-cost housing. The nonprofit has backed out of its controversial escrow to purchase the Bethel Baptist Church in Grover Beach.
Working under an agreement with the 5 Cities Homeless Coalition, Peoples’ Self-Help Housing recently entered an escrow to purchase a 1.2 acre lot at 855 4th Street in Pismo Beach for $2.9 million. Last month, the homeless coalition purchased a 3,855 square foot building at 100 4th Street in Grover Beach for $875,000, to use as their office space. The coalition is still searching for a property to use as a warming center.
The nonprofits are planning to build 50 units of affordable or temporary housing on the property located near the Pismo Beach Premium Outlets. At a city council meeting on Sept. 17, Pismo Beach City Manager Jim Lewis voiced his support for the project.
“We really believe this is a great site,” Lewis said. “It’s adjacent to transportation, groceries, the freeway. There aren’t surrounding neighborhoods adjacent…really it provides an opportunity for people.”
For 10 years, the homeless coalition has attempted to secure property for offices, a warming center, homeless youth housing, and low-cost housing. Then in April, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted to approve $2.6 million in grant funds for the purchase of the Bethel Baptist Church in Grover Beach.
However, members of the congregation accused those attempting to convert the church into a homeless facility, as supporting the theft of their church.
Bethel Baptist Church’s current pastor John Fleming, the church board, and its members are fighting the Christian & Missionary Alliance (C&MA) over ownership of the 57-year-old church and a 3.1-acre lot valued at $2.9 million.
Representatives of the C&MA claim they legally transferred ownership of the church to their nonprofit, which then decided to close the church and sell the almost $3 million property to the Five Cities Homeless Coalition, with C&MA planning to keep the proceeds.
After learning of the C&MA’s contract to sell the church property to the 5 Cities Homeless Coalition, church elder John Fleming filed state documents showing Bethel Bapist Church owned the property, changed the locks and began holding Sunday services.
Residents of both Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande have voiced opposition to the homeless coalition and several public officials including Supervisor Adam Hill and Grover Beach Councilwoman Mariam Shah, whom they accuse of supporting an attempt to steal the church.
The Judge in this ongoing saga, is Ginger Garrett, she changes her ruling like cloths, first she ruled in favor of the suit against X Sgt. Chris McGuire, the Paso Robles on duty Rapist then later she changes her mind and voids her own ruling not to allow the Victim of this corrupt cop to be able to file suit.
It appears she in unsure of her own rulings and the Church case is another example of her time to retire, she is like the waves in the ocean they just keep changing, I realize as she is a Lesbian she does not like Churches or Religion, but please make a proper ruling and stand firm.
As she is the Presiding Judge of the entire Superior court she has way too much power, she is also the Judge who secretly told ALL Judges to recuse them selves from hearing the Criminal Case against another sitting Judges daughter who was in a Drunk Driving case that the CHP recommend charges, yesterday in court is was a circus as the defendant Helen Pratt aka Helen Peron’s daughter of Judge Gayle Peron was given favor to avoid the media.
CHP and Dan Dow filed charges and yet yesterday her arraignment was skirted by going Judge Shopping so all the Judges of SLO recused themselves as not to have the public know a Judges Daughter arrested and charged by the CHP and DA. So now they are trying to get it moved to another Venue to quell the press.
However two judges said they could and would hear the arraignment buy then were told behind closed doors to recuse so the case would go silent for now. Some quid quo pro dealings going on with Judges, now the Commission of Judicial Performance is aware of this issue, as well as the State Bar on one of the Lawyers involved in the cover up.
Judges are just as corrupt as the other county offices, Judge Garrett should not be covering up for a DUI that caused a fire at the Ranch of X Dodger Ted Lilly who himself had some criminal issues on insurance fraud in SLO.
The public has the right to know the illegal doings behind Closed Doors, I smell a fish is involved in more than one cover up. Why is the Presiding Judge covering for a fellow Judge and Friend ? This Judge needs to be impeached , Re-called or indicted for Judicial malfeasance.
I now know why so many Court staff have either quit, transferred to other departments the Judiciary here is dirty, even the Commission on Judicial Performance is now reviewing, Justice is suppose to be “Fair, Transparent and Honest and Blind” not in SLO.
This same Judge has even protected friends of hers as well in other matters that are coming to light soon. Thje CHP and the DA should not allow favoritism to happen, if they bring in an out of area Judge that would be fine but the powers at be Court Executive Officer M. Powell is and was on board with this scandal. Why the Media Black out ?
Cc: to CJP
judicialcouncil@jud.ca.gov
emma.bradford@cjp.ca.gov
nnishimura@cpmlegal.com