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Lawsuit alleges hostile takeover of San Luis Obispo Grange Hall

July 26, 2019

As with a Grover Beach church that had been slated to be replaced with a homeless facility, allegations of a hostile takeover have arisen over the San Luis Obispo Grange Hall, the subject of a lawsuit filed earlier this month. [New Times]

The nonprofit California State Grange and its local chapter SLO Grange No. 639 allege in the lawsuit that the organization SLO Guild Hall took over the property and hall located at 2880 Broad Street without consent. SLO Guild Hall is an organization that reportedly formed in the aftermath of the revocation of the California State Grange’s charter, a move that has since been reversed.

SLO Guild Hall took control of the Broad Street property and funds from Grange-owned bank accounts, as well as items inside the hall, including chairs and kitchenware, according to the lawsuit. The suit also alleges repeated trespassing on Grange property.

The charter of the California State Grange was revoked in April 2013 and restored in July 2014, the lawsuit states. After the revocation of the State Grange’s charter, former officers and members of the nonprofit formed the California Guild, improperly retained control of the State Grange’s property and tried to convince Grange members to leave the organization, according to the suit.

In Nov. 2015, the California Superior Court for Sacramento County declared the State Grange was properly reorganized. The ruling also stated the State Grange is the only entity allowed to use and control its property, and the California Guild must return all Grange property in its possession, according to the suit.

The lawsuit alleges members of some local divisions of the State Grange disaffiliated and became members of the newly formed California Guild. In July 2016, members of the SLO Grange submitted paperwork with the California Secretary of State to change the name of the local corporation to the SLO Guild Hall.

SLO Grange did not report to the State Grange its intention to change its name, nor did the state-level organization approve of the change, which is required in the organization’s bylaws. A 2016 deed recorded with the SLO County Clerk-Recorder’s Office transferred the title of the property from SLO Grange to SLO Guild Hall without the permission of the state-level organization, according to the suit.

Last week, a representative of SLO Grange and the state-level organization contacted SLO Guild to demand the return of all property it took control of and to stop trespassing.


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I was extremely ignorant to Grange as a local godsend. It’s a big deal this article; thank you. Here’s some more basic feedback for others to understand significance of a Grange and America Ag and awesomeness, truly.


https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/united-states-and-canada/us-history/granger-movement&ved=2ahUKEwj5jbO6j9bjAhUqwMQHHasVC3QQFjATegQIDBAp&usg=AOvVaw0U9ZygNoP8CnrYL4Xdrik1


I have been involved with events there, blindly ignorant to its operation, a shame, such a great place for everyone. It’s an academic ag/ community center. A church without a church! And it has native landscaping there in slo!


Also a shout out to Morro Bay Gorilla Gardening. A local landscaping recycling notforprofit. International too. If you see nice landscaping in Morro Bay, it was done by them, for free with volunteers. If it’s bad landscaping, blame the *Hitty City of Morro Bay and it’s illuminati.


1

The property is is large and valuable. Expect the new “owners” to cash in big on a sale. Same as when the non-profit Tri-Counties Blood Bank sold to for-profit Vitalent. Tri-Counties executives received huge payouts.


1

Don’t be so sure. For a great many years under the Grange banner, that facility was largely run by one man (an interloper) and his significant other, as membership continued to shrink. Long-time members finally stepped-up and got involved once more a few years back. They have been working hard to upgrade and maintain the facility which is still in fairly rough shape.


There was also a disagreement with the California State Grange leadership (which according to the article, lost its charter at one point), so they opted to change affiliations. In other words the California State Grange up in Sacramento wasn’t being very supportive of the SLO outpost, so local members went looking for a better deal with more support.


You need to drill-down on the facts before spewing inaccurate information. CCN needs to do the same.


1

Why don’t we just block off the street that the state legislature and capitol building is on and build tents and beds and portapotties for the homeless?…then the do nothing good elected class in Sac town can really care for them first hand without stealing property from people in the state….then they the legislators can be accosted going to and from work instead of us…then their local McDonald’s can be over run by homeless and not our McDonald’s…then their streets can be full of garbage and not ours….


0

Historically, Granges have supported small family farms. We are fortunate in SLO County to still have family ag and the benefits it brings…specialty foods, boutique foods, and now, organic foods.


13

They put on awesome local events there, huge lovely facility. They help alot of businesses as a venue, I had no idea this was happening.


11

It’s not a “huge facility” nor is it “lovely” — it needs a lot of work. Maintenance was deferred for a long time on that structure.


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