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San Luis Obispo rancher Dan DeVaul dead at 82

April 6, 2026

Sunny Acres

By KAREN VELIE

Dan DeVaul, best known for opening his Sunny Acres ranch to the homeless, has died. He was 82 years old.

DeVaul died on March 6 with long-time health issues and dementia.

Located on DeVaul’s 72-acre ranch on the outskirts of San Luis Obispo, the Sunny Acres facility housed and provided sober-living services to hundreds of low-income residents. Even so, DeVaul and San Luis Obispo County repeatedly battled over code enforcement disputes pertaining to the property.

The county accused DeVaul of violating regulations by allowing people to live in non-permitted structures, including sheds and RVs. Sunny Acres had a history of code enforcement violations dating back to 2001.

In 2011, a local judge forced the rancher to evict effectively homeless individuals who were deemed to have been staying in non-code compliant structures. Sunny Acres later went into receivership, and then in 2013, DeVaul and the county entered into a stipulated agreement requiring the rancher to comply with various regulations in order to continue his operation.

In June, 2021, the county obtained a civil inspection warrant, and code enforcers went onto DeVaul’s property, accompanied by sheriff’s deputies. During the inspection, county staff again found violations on the property, including non-permitted tiny homes.

DeVaul also acknowledged the main residential building on the ranch was not property permitted because of a dispute over water. DeVaul had sought to connect the building to the city of SLO’s water.

In 2022, the county sued De Vaul over the living conditions at the ranch.

In 2023, a court order placed the ranch in the hands of the California Receivership Group, which led to a removal of unpermitted structures and a cleanup of the property. The group is working towards developing a recovery center at the ranch.

Suffering with dementia, DeVaul spent his last years out of state near his children.

 


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This man had the right idea. Dealing with homeless drug addicts should be no more than tent facilities in rural areas. Anything beyond that, then the administrators are getting rich. A Newsom-inspired, too much money, debacle.


1

This property now appears to be being looked at by a non profit, Restorative Partners, who is working with the state Dept. of Housing and Community Development to use a Project Homekey grant to purchase the property and re-develop it into a recovery center according to the recent Tribune article. Not sure everyone in that area will be in favor of this so the controversy regarding this property may not be over.


5

Just another homeless industrial complex (HIC), taxpayer funded grifting opportunity.


Except for homeless veterans, take the rest of the homeless to the edge of SLO County and release them with instructions to NOT return without a permanent address.


CALIFORNIA TAXPAYERS HAVE BEEN BILKED OF TENS OF BILLIONS OF OUR HARD EARNED DOLLARS FOR THIS NOW ENDLESS (WELL) DOCUMENTED HIC SCAM!


1

Thanks, Dan, for keeping many homeless and mentally ill people off the streets and out of our parks. Instead of assisting you, the government did everything imaginable to get these residents off your ranch and back into homelessness. But don’t worry, everyone, I’m sure the internment camp at Johnson and Bishop Streets in San Luis Obispo will be a wonderful alternative place for them.


8

Can Christine Mulholland finally stop?



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