Residents are furious over a plot to evict a family that has called the forests of an affluent Silicon Valley neighborhood home for more than half a century.
The Girouard family – Jeremiah, his mother Susan, and his young son Raylen – are fighting to stay in their small home near the Rhus Ridge trailhead in Los Altos Hills, where the median household income towers at a staggering 160 percent above the state average.
The family’s connection to the land dates back to the early 1970s, when Jeremiah’s late father Raye was hired as a caretaker by the property’s former owners, as reported by SFGATE.
He was in charge of patrolling on horseback, clearing debris, and preventing vandalism – and performed them for minimal pay but with the right to live on the land.
In 1987, the landowners sold 19 acres to the Midpeninsula Open Space District (Midpen), including the plot where the Girouards lived in a trailer.
The family later upgraded to a small modular home in 1994.
‘My family is pretty well-respected in the area, and even though we’re not tech moguls or millionaires, there’s a lot of people who care about us and want us to remain part of the community,’ Jeremiah told SFGATE.
‘And those people have really rallied around us, trying to get Midpen to recognize our right to be on that small piece of land which we have.’
The Girouard family – Jeremiah, his mother Susan, and his young son Raylen – are fighting to stay in their small home near the Rhus Ridge trailhead in Los Altos Hills, where the median household income towers at a staggering 160 percent above the state average
The family’s troubles began last year when a tree damaged their roof during a winter storm. When Jeremiah attempted to notify Midpen about repairs, he was instead served with an eviction notice in January with a March 10 deadline
The family’s troubles began last year when a tree damaged their roof during a winter storm.
When Jeremiah attempted to notify Midpen about repairs, he was instead served with an eviction notice by The Midpeninsula Open Space District in January with a March 10 deadline.
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Midpen spokesperson Ryan McCauley has claimed the agency ‘made repeated attempts to reach a fair, reasonable and mutually agreeable solution’ by offering a market-rate lease – but that was an impossible option for the single-income family.
Moving elsewhere wasn’t an option either, as Jeremiah’s son depends on special education services provided by the Los Altos Hills school district.
The eviction notice has sparked a grassroots movement among Los Altos Hills residents determined to help the family keep their home.
‘This is more than a home. It is a historical and environmental legacy,’ said Mary Rees, a longtime local resident who spoke at a February Midpen board meeting.
Her husband Tom added that he considers himself ‘a second father’ to Jeremiah.
‘This is part of their history and to dislocate them would be true injustice,’ Tom said.
Supporters argue the family provides security to the area as the only residents present at night when Midpen rangers go home.
‘My father and I have deterred countless people who might have otherwise vandalized or damaged the land,’ Jeremiah explained.
The Girouards maintain their occupancy rights were granted in the 1987 transfer agreement when the property changed hands.
‘I mean, I don’t know too many places that would allow you to put your own $120,000 modular home on a piece of property, unless you had some sort of right to be there,’ Jeremiah said.
The family’s connection to the land dates back to the early 1970s, when Jeremiah’s late father Raye was hired as a caretaker by the property’s former owners, as reported by SFGATE
But Midpen officials have claimed the organization’s growth has made the caretaking duties obsolete.
The last official lease ended in 2004, after which the family remained on a month-to-month basis.
‘It’s our duty to spend the public’s money in a responsible way that aligns with our mission,’ McCauley said.
‘So we’re just trying to come to an agreement that fits the need for open space preservation and making sure we’re using this land that is for open space in the most responsible way we can.’