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\u201cKaiser Permanente has joined to support the launch of the rebuilding of MLVS through a $500,000 grant that supports MLVS building expansion and bringing the Medical Assistant program equipment current with industry standards,\u201d said Gallardo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mood was jubilant as the community celebrated the return of the building. Among those present were Mayor London Breed, District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen, District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safa\u00ed and State Assemblymember David Chiu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy taking complete ownership of this building, the nonprofit organizations that make up the 701 Alabama Consortium are sending a clear message that they are not going anywhere and will continue investing in the futures of our most vulnerable families in the Mission and throughout the city,\u201d Ronen said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back in July 2016, Huckleberry Friends filed a lawsuit against MLVS for a breach of contract arising from a 2013 lease agreement. That lease agreement was a result of MLVS being in a dire financial situation, which led to its Board of Directors and then-Executive Director Rosario Anaya, to sign the lease agreement giving Huckleberry Friends the \u201coption to purchase\u201d the part of the building it was leasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MLVS\u2019s building sits on land that would be divided into two parcels if Huckleberry Friends decided to exercise its option to purchase. At the time Huckleberry Friends exercised its option to purchase, MLVS\u2019s financial situation was grim. MLVS had a $2.5 million mortgage with Wells Fargo, who was concerned about MLVS\u2019s cash flow ratio and was afraid it would have to foreclose. MLVS was able to find a private loan, but payments were $18,000 a month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe had to get out from underneath this hard money loan,\u201d said MLVS board member Ray Sloan. \u201cThat\u2019s when Saul Griffith [Huckleberry\u2019s managing member] heard about our plight and approached Rosario with a deal that he wanted to buy part of the building. And with [former board chair] Jose Chapa, we entered into an agreement with Saul Griffith and HF that he would get the Alabama side and make certain improvements that the school would benefit from as well. For example, he was going to replace the roof.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MLVS was able to secure the private loan after making the agreement with Griffith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In August 2015, Anaya died unexpectedly, unbeknownst to the community that she had been battling lung cancer. Before her death, Anaya brought Daniel Brajkovich to the board, who served as the interim director after Anaya\u2019s death. Brajkovich, however, stopped making the mortgage payments in March 2015, which led to further financial troubles. The board only became aware of the situation when Griffith informed that the mortgage was not being paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe executive director who followed Rosario when she passed away failed to keep making payments on the loan that she got after signing the 2013 lease,\u201d said MLVS board member Tony Fazio. \u201cThat lease was guaranteed by HF. MLVS ended up owing over $300,000 to HF who was continuing to make payments to avoid going into default. Otherwise the school would have gone into default and the bank [would have] foreclose[ed] on the building.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once MLVS\u2019s situation with Huckleberry Friends became public, various community members and organizations banded together to see what they could do to help MLVS. After many negotiations and lengthy litigation, in early 2018, a third of the MLVS building was sold to Griffith for $3 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Together with the help of the mayor, city leaders, and the community members, MLVS was able to purchase back the building\u2019s section that was lost, even if not all parties were happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Griffith noted that he lost at least half a million dollars in the settlement in legal fees and other costs, but estimates that the loss is likely several million dollars if he included damages to his business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy wife and I simply could not afford to continue fighting this fight so we relinquished and sold the property as a significant loss,\u201d said Griffith. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it was rather unfortunate the way it turned out, that [Griffith] was not given the benefit of the agreement that he originally signed with the school,\u201d said Scott Freedman, Griffith\u2019s attorney. \u201cBecause of the opposition that he was facing\u2026he ultimately made a decision to step away from the building and let the school do with it what it wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, it is, to me, a fair deal,\u201d Gallardo said. \u201cEverybody wins in this deal and everybody loses\u2026It\u2019s too bad we had to go through this ordeal. I think the original intent was made in good faith\u2026It\u2019s just [that] the community never agreed to the sale of such a historical asset. When the community came out strong and felt ownership and connection to the building, I feel that Saul had to give us the opportunity to at least attempt to buy it back and so \u2026 some kind of thanks is in order for allowing that to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the Nov. 20 celebration, Breed stated: \u201cThere is nothing like having a place in your community to call home \u2026 MLVS has been that community space for over 40 years, here in the Mission \u2026 to open the doors of opportunity for people who need a place to feel safe and feel secure, to develop the skills, to learn the language, to learn so many amazing things, but most importantly, to have a community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Assemblymember Chiu also highlighted the importance of community and stated, \u201cAt a time when our Latino community [and] our immigrant community are under assault of a so-called occupant of the White House and from economic forces that are looking to push us out, we have to stand up in coalitions with families to say that we\u2019re not going away, we are here to stay, and [that] no one is kicking us out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The significance of the building to the community was heavily recognized throughout the celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besides MLVS, the building also houses nonprofit organizations that serve transitional age youth, immigrants, and families, such as the Jamestown Community Center, Five Keys Charter School, the Roadmap to Peace Initiative, and the Bay Area Community Resource Access Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of those buildings in the community that is the community\u2019s city hall, the community\u2019s place of organizing, the ground zero, where people come together to break bread, to celebrate,\u201d said Gallardo. \u201cIt was where we had had many Cesar Chavez breakfasts, dances, many communities and groups coming in. MLVS has historically been that place for community. A place with a lot of memories and organizing.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After a lengthy legal battle that placed Mission Language and Vocational School (MLVS) in jeopardy of losing its building, its board members, students, local politicians and community members gathered on Nov. 20 to celebrate the return of the MLVS building to the community. MLVS was able to keep the building, located at 2020 19th St., […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":42465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"coauthors":[18495],"class_list":["post-42464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n