Bills help El Morro residents

Alicia Robinson

Residents at El Morro Village could stay in their homes for up to 30

more years, under two alternate bills Newport Beach Assemblyman Chuck

DeVore introduced Thursday. Both bills would stop the state from

demolishing El Morro Village and converting it to a park that

includes camping facilities, a lifeguard station and parking with

access to the beach and nature trails. DeVore said the bills would

raise rents at El Morro to market rate, and the resulting income

would help the state with its $8 billion budget gap.

The state parks department does not yet have an official position

on the bills, but it has been firmly in favor of moving forward with

the plan to remove El Morro Village and create more park space. The

eviction process is underway at El Morro, and some residents have

agreed to leave by April 1, said Mike Tope, superintendent of the

state parks’ Orange Coast District.