About 15 former residents of the Casanova Plaza Apartment Complex in Monterey, displaced by a March 9 fire that killed one resident and injured others, demonstrated in front of the now-vacant building, expressing frustration because their belongings are still trapped inside the building. The building’s property manager, Housing Authority of the County of Monterey, first told some residents they would be able to enter the building in mid-May, but then backtracked, citing safety concerns and a lawsuit, which they later admitted never existed.
On the sidewalk in front of Casanova Plaza on Thursday, June 4, the frustrated former residents held up signs that read “No more lies!” and “They said we would be prosecuted for attempting to get our belongings!” and “It is inhumane to keep my property hostage for your selfish gain!!” all while chanting “Release our property.”
In a statement by HACM dated June 3, the organization said that it was ”eager to facilitate access and the return of belongings as quickly as possible.”
“However, a lawsuit has been filed related to the fire, and legal requirements associated with that litigation require that the property remain secured and undisturbed while evidence is preserved and investigations continue,” the statement reads. “These restrictions are not decisions HACM has made voluntarily, but obligations that must be followed as part of the legal process.”
When the Weekly scoured the county’s court records for the lawsuit in question and couldn’t find it, a request was issued to HACM asking to provide details of the court case. In response, HACM released an updated public statement, which said that there actually was no lawsuit.
“Legal counsel for HACM has advised the Housing Authority that a lawsuit has not been filed with the County of Monterey at this time. However, HACM has received from a lawyer a cease-and-desist order,” the corrected statement reads. “As a result of the order, HACM has been advised that the property must remain secured, and that access to units and removal of items from the site should not be permitted at this time. These restrictions are not decisions HACM has made voluntarily, but actions the Housing Authority must take based on the legal direction it has received.”
Former Casanova Plaza resident June Stein told the Weekly that she just wants the framed photos of her late daughter and the urn that contains the ashes of her father. Like other displaced residents, Stein received a letter, dated May 26, 2026, and signed by HACM CEO Zulieka Boykin, stating that all of her possessions were valued under $700, and that the property “may be kept, sold or destroyed without further notice,” if not claimed at the Housing Authority building in Salinas by June 13, 2026. Stein said she drove to the Salinas office the morning of June 4 to pick up her personal property, but it wasn’t there.
“It was a lie,” Stein says. “They don’t have our property. It’s still in the apartments.”
Stein said that the entire experience has been “an absolute nightmare” that “could have been prevented.” She and the other demonstrators all stated that they will continue to protest until HACM allows them access to their property.
“We are not going to stop,” she says.
A representative of the Housing Authority said they did not have a copy of the cease-and-desist letter to share with the Weekly and Boykin was unavailable for comment.