Sunny Acres cleanup scheduled 

For Sunny Acres, April 21 will either be a simple cleanup or the much-belated start of a code compliance overhaul.

The sober-living facility is now under a court-appointed receiver tasked with scheduling work and hiring contractors to bring the property into compliance with county codes. Recently, however, members of the PolyHouse project identified Sunny Acres as their preferred assignment.

“It really follows the Cal Poly ‘learn by doing’ [mantra]; it’s just as real as it gets,” PolyHouse founder Dr. Roya Javadpour said. “So I think it’s a great educational experience for the students.”

Each spring, graduate students in Javadpour’s class choose a home-remodel project for a disadvantaged family or individual. PolyHouse students have already made one visit to the ranch for cleanup.

Javadpour said she met with the appointed receiver, David Pasternak of Los Angeles, as well as county attorneys and supervisors. So far, she said, everyone seems amenable to turning the work over to PolyHouse, which will use donated resources from the community. Sunny Acres owner Dan De Vaul told New Times in a previous interview he worried the cost of the work, if it goes to a private contractor, could force him to close the ranch. However, PolyHouse can accomplish that work at no cost to De Vaul or the university, Javadpour said.

On April 20, they’ll find out if that’s a possibility. A hearing is scheduled, during which Pasternak will make his recommendation to the court as to who should perform the various contract jobs to bring the ranch into compliance.

Javadpour said PolyHouse has already received wide community support. She encouraged anyone who’s interested in donating money or supplies and those who would like to pitch in on April 21 to visit polyhouse.org.