The owner of a Palo Alto mobile home park has settled a discrimination lawsuit filed by the federal government.
At issue was the use of an "adults only" sign posted to the entrance of the Buena Vista Mobilehome Park on El Camino Real in south Palo Alto. It is against federal law for property owners to discriminate against families with children.
As part of the settlement, Buena Vista has agreed to pay $4,500 in damages. The defendants also deny liability or responsibility, as part of the settlement.
Tim Jisser, the Buena Vista owner, could not be reached for comment.
"It was a discriminatory advertising case," said Pam Thomas of Midpeninsula Citizens for Fair Housing (MCFH), the group that filed the complaint against Buena Vista in March 1994 with federal housing authorities.
Once MCFH filed the complaint, the adults-only sign was removed. The federal Department of Justice later filed the lawsuit.
Thomas said families with children live in the mobile home park, which has space for 116 trailers. But she didn't know how many children lived in the park.
As part of the settlement, the mobile home park will also notify all of its tenants that it is an equal housing opportunity provider, and the owner will receive training in federal housing laws.
Thomas said the case was important because trailer parks are among the most affordable forms of housing, especially in the high-priced Palo Alto area.
The case was initiated in 1993 when someone saw the adults-only sign and called MCFH to complain. MCFH is a Palo Alto-based fair housing agency.
--Don Kazak
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