After more than a year of downsizing and residents’ fears of losing their homes, Cali Lake RV Resort was granted the ability to provide long-term housing at Tuesday’s L.A. County Board of Supervisors meeting.  In a phone interview on Tuesday after the decision, Cali Lake owner Stewart Silver said he’s buying dinner for the roughly 150 people who live at the park so they can celebrate together.  “It’s a good thing, and everybody feels they were on edge,” Silver said. “They weren’t sure what was going to happen. Now they know that they could stay, they’re very, very, very excited.”  Silver had appealed a decision made by the county Department of Regional Planning that would only allow for tenants at the RV park to stay for a maximum of 90 days in a six-month period.  Multiple supervisors had questioned that decision at a public hearing in August, saying the rationale that long-term residents would be in more danger in case of emergency doesn’t make sense.  County officials have deemed the area surrounding the park is a high fire and flood severity zone.  Had the appeal been denied, Silver said his tenants would have had four months to move out.  In a news release, 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the SCV, said preserving housing options for the roughly 150 Cali Lake residents is a must as the county’s housing crisis continues to be a problem.  “We have a housing crisis on our hands in L.A. County, so we need to value and preserve every housing option that’s on the table,” Barger said in the release. “Today’s action by our Board of Supervisors reflects our commitment to supporting families and individuals who call this community home instead of brashly displacing them. We reached a balanced solution – one that both values public safety and providing residents the stability and security they deserve … Undeniably, Cali Lake RV Park has become a refuge for individuals and families struggling financially who can’t afford other options. Today’s outcome is a win-win for all.”  There are some stipulations that Silver must comply with as part of the appeal being approved. He must: maintain and operate a shuttle van to be used for evacuations in emergency situations; ensure all RVs and other automobiles are in working order and have current registration; and ensure that all residents are aware of their rights as tenants if they reside at the park for longer than 90 days.  Silver praised Barger for doing “the right thing” and said abiding by those stipulations won’t be a problem.  “I’ve been in business my whole life, and Barger, she’s not your typical politician,” Silver said. “I got to give her some credit for that.”  The park has gone down in residency in the past year after a conditional use permit was granted for 47 spaces, down from the 103 spaces that Silver had been filling under the previous one. But the new permit specifically called for only short-term stays, the one condition that Silver was appealing.  But while Silver is happy that he’s able to provide housing to some people, he’s already thinking about what else he can do to. He said he’s looking at opening up two more parks and wants to apply for another permit on top of the one he already has for Cali Lake to potentially expand and get back to what it once was.  “We have vacant land there that’s occupying absolutely nothing,” Silver said.  He said he knows of multiple people who have been offered hotel rooms by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, but they tell him they’d rather pay rent for a lot at his park, where they can have their things and be part of a community.  Silver had heard stories of people who did go to those hotel rooms, and the rooms were ransacked and items were being sold on the streets.  “But in an RV (park), it’s their people, it’s their RV,” Silver said. “So they take pride in the RV. Most of the people would rather live in the streets in their own home, which is their RV, as opposed to living in an apartment, not knowing what’s gonna happen.”  Silver’s attorney is also working with the county on changing the county code so that all RV parks can follow the same rules that his has been granted.  The post Cali Lake appeal for long-term residency approved  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.