City locks down units at Merced motel, forcing residents out on the streets

A Merced woman says a dispute over the power going to the motel room where she has stayed for more than three years led to the city shutting down 10 units, abruptly leaving numerous people with no place to stay.

Tabitha Gonzales said she lost power in mid-October to her room at Gateway Motel, where she was living with her adult son and daughter. After growing frustrated with hotel management’s delayed maintenance, she said, she called Pacific Gas and Electric to fix the problem.

The 48-year-old said the call led to a chain of events that ended with her living out of her car with her children. She said city employees offered her no assistance in finding a place to stay other than advising her to go to the D Street Shelter.

“All I wanted was for them to fix the PG&E,” she said through tears. “It’s not just us. It’s 10 families that got displaced. The owner knew it was bad.”

City and state records show the motel is owned by Kaushal P. Sharma. Attempts to reach him for comment on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

“We’re out of money and we’re out of options,” Gonzales said. “Where’s all the money for people when there’s an emergency? It’s not like I planned for this.”

Antonio Pino, Gonzales’ son, said they were without power for about two weeks before their patience ran out. He said he knows some of the other tenants who are now living out of a tent, and another in a moving van.

Officials with the city of Merced confirmed 10 units were determined to be too dangerous to be inhabited. A code enforcement officer visited the 1407 16th St. hotel on Oct. 26 and documented major safety issues with the electrical system including bare wires and an extension cord running from the fuse box, according to spokesperson Mike Conway.

“It was a safety hazard,” he said. “When your lights are sparking, that’s not a good sign.”

The east wing of the motel was immediately temporarily shuttered, though the other 10 units were left in operation, Conway said. A contractor pulled a permit to do work there, he said, but no city employees have been requested for a follow-up inspection.

Gonzales said she rented the room on a monthly basis since Feb. 2015. City officials said because the motel is not considered permanent housing, anyone displaced by the shuttered rooms was not offered hotel vouchers or any other housing assistance.

When apartments are shut down, like those closed in June 2017 on Highway 59, city officials often call in nonprofits or advocates to help rehouse the stranded tenants.

Merced County has a process for helping to house displaced families and others which usually consists of providing them with a temporary voucher for a hotel room, according to Phil Schmauss, a homeless advocate.

“They usually put together a good, solid team of homeless service providers,” he said, “that have outreach and engagement professionals.”