The saga continues this spring for the Healdsburg Senior Living facility on Grove Street. Last we heard, back in March, the Press Democrat reported that Pacifica — the San Diego-based real estate and hospitality company that has owned Healdsburg Senior Living since 2018, along with 80 similar facilities across seven states — was forced to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, leaving the fate of Healdsburg’s local senior home and its dozens of residents uncertain.
This, after years of complaints, citations and a lawsuit alleging “clear reckless neglect” on the part of Healdsburg Senior Living, leading to the death of resident Phyllis Johnson. (Pacifica recently settled with her family for around $2.5 million.)
And now, dogged Press Democrat reporter Phil Barber — who has been all over this story! — writes that Pacifica has handed off our local senior home to a shadowy new company called “Healdsburg Mgr LLC.” An attorney for Pacifica tried to argue to Phil that Pacifica no longer manages Healdsburg Senior Living, and that everything is being handled by this other LLC, but Phil is skeptical. “Despite the arrival of Healdsburg Mgr LLC at Healdsburg Senior Living,” he reports, “it’s unclear whether any substantive leadership changes have taken place, in part because of the layers of companies connected to the facility.” Among them:
A deeper look at Healdsburg Mgr LLC… reveals that that company didn’t exist until September. In that initial filing with the California secretary of state’s office, Carl Knepler is the “organizer.”
Knepler spent 13 years as Pacifica Senior Living’s chief operating officer and managing partner, according to his LinkedIn page.
Knepler now holds those same titles for another newly registered company called Heritage Resource Group. A relative of one Healdsburg Senior Living resident told The Press Democrat that when a representative of the new management company there gave him a business card, it identified her as working for Heritage Resource Group.
That company incorporated in October. Its most recent statement of information, filed with the secretary of state, lists Knepler as a manager, along with Naresh Kotwani, who is a principal at Pacifica Companies.
This reminds me so much of slumlord reporting I did back when I was the New York City editor for Patch. Basically, I learned that LLCs are a top obfuscation tool of property managers trying to dodge responsibility. I only hope our local seniors aren’t suffering amid this corporate mess. (If you live there or know someone who does, I’d love to hear from you.) For what it’s worth, Pacifica’s attorney did insist in a statement issued to the PD that all is fine and well at 725 Grove St. The statement reads, in part:
“Healdsburg Senior Living is a licensed, fully independent, financially stable community that remains deeply committed to providing exceptional care to our residents. In fact, we are excited to announce that Healdsburg Senior Living is growing! We’re expanding our services with the construction of a new Assisted Living building and the expansion of our Memory Care Program to better meet the needs of our residents and their families.
“Our dedication to delivering high-quality care has not wavered. We are enthusiastic about the future and look forward to continuing to serve our community with the excellence our residents deserve. We hope this message helps to clarify any confusion and eliminate any concerns for our residents, families, and staff.”
Note from Simone: This piece originally appeared in the weekly email newsletter I write for the Healdsburg Tribune, called Healdsburg Today. Subscribe here!
