Seniors at downtown Sacramento apartment complex raise concerns about bedbugs
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Residents of an affordable senior housing complex in downtown Sacramento say bedbugs have affected multiple apartments and that pest-control treatments have not resolved the problem.
KCRA 3 spoke Thursday with about a dozen Park Place Apartments residents, both on and off camera. Several tenants said they were concerned about management’s response, while some declined to speak openly because they feared retaliation.
“When I woke up, I had the feeling they were crawling on me,” one tenant said.
Park Place Apartments is a 14-story building near 13th and N streets, just blocks from the California State Capitol. The property provides affordable housing for seniors.
Several residents said they had either encountered bedbugs themselves or knew neighbors whose apartments were affected.
“There’s a lot of people who complain about it. They’re infested with them,” another tenant said.
Resident Sherrill Battreall said she has seen evidence of the problem among her neighbors.
“There’s a lot of people who are suffering from the bugs,” Battreall said. “I see the bites and stuff.”
One tenant, who asked not to be identified, said management blamed the resident for bringing bedbugs into the apartment. The tenant disputed that claim.
“They put the blame on me, saying I brought them into my room, but I never had them in my other room until I moved into my current room,” the tenant said.
Several tenants said they were reluctant to discuss the building’s management because they worried about possible consequences.
When asked to elaborate on concerns about management, one resident replied, “Not really. I’m not getting in trouble.”
Resident Tony Savala expressed a similar concern.
“I don’t want to say too much because I still stay here,” Savala said. When asked whether he feared retaliation, he responded, “They probably will.”
Another tenant said residents felt they were being taken advantage of.
Some residents said they have seen pest-control workers treating areas of the complex. However, tenants gave differing accounts of how often treatments occur and whether they have been effective.
The complex is managed by Ray Stone Inc. KCRA 3 made multiple attempts to contact the company by phone and email Thursday night but did not receive a response.
KCRA 3 has asked management to clarify its pest-control schedule, explain how it is responding to residents’ complaints and say whether incoming tenants are informed about previous infestations in their apartments.
The company has yet to answer those questions as of Thursday night.
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