The Ballard family, who owns the winery, has been allowing Marcelino Martinez, their vineyard manager of over 20 years, and his family to live rent-free in a trailer to help them with living expenses in Santa Clara County where the average home sells for $1.5 million. The Ballard's vineyard encompasses 60 acres and the Mr. Martinez and his family only occupy a small section. This generous and innocuous arrangement between an employer and employee has alarmed Santa Clara County officials and they’ve slapped the Ballards with daily fines. The citations are issued for violating a local ordinance that bans using recreational vehicles as permanent homes.
Let's reflect on this absurdity. In a county where home prices average around $1.5 million and rent for apartments hovers near $3,200, the Ballards’ decision to let their vineyard manager stay in a trailer makes perfect sense. Martinez himself voiced the struggle of living in San Jose, where finding affordable housing is nearly impossible. If the county forces him to leave, he might not just lose his home—he could also lose his job.
After a code enforcement officer visited the property in 2017 and told the Ballards that the trailer wasn’t fit for living, they took steps to fix the issue. They started building an accessory dwelling unit that complies with county regulations. But the permit process has dragged on while the daily fines pile up.
The Institute for Justice has stepped in to help the Ballards fight these fines, arguing that the Eighth Amendment protects against excessive penalties. And who could disagree? Treating each day the Martinez family spends in the trailer as a new violation is just absurd.
Michael Ballard has a point when he says that the county should be encouraging good Samaritan actions instead of punishing them. If more people in a position to help did so, maybe we wouldn’t have such a severe homelessness problem in the area.
This case is just another chapter in the annals of stupidity—where common sense is thrown out the window in favor of stringent enforcement of rules that don’t take into account the human element. I’m reminded of the adage that wine is made in the vineyard, and we hope Mr. Martinez can continue to do what he has done for the last 20 years without a bureaucracy pestering his livelihood.
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