Stanislaus County senior living facility gives residents 48 hours to move following owner's death

CBS News

16-05-2025

NEWMAN — Families said they were blindsided after being told they had just two days to move their loved ones out of Golden Age Living, an assisted living facility in Newman, following the sudden death of the facility's licensed owner.
The owner, Kelsy Ramos, was reported missing on May 2nd and was later found dead in Fresno on May 5. The facility, licensed as a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly through the California Department of Social Services, had been operated under her name.
Cathleen Trayer, whose mother lived at the facility for three years, said families were initially told by state licensing officials and the local ombudsman that they would have time to relocate. But that changed on Monday, when she received a text message from the facility's manager saying residents had to be out by Friday.
"All of a sudden, we were going from 'you have time' to being told 'no, you got to be out,' " Trayer said. "It's been very stressful for families."
Trayer said she had paid through the end of May and had not received any written eviction notice. Under California law, assisted living residents are entitled to at least 60 days written notice before being evicted, even in the case of a facility closure.
"All of them say that you have to have at least a 30-day notice," she said. "It has to be in writing. We haven't been given anything in writing."
The facility's manager, Linda Garrett, said she was told by the deceased owner's family that the state had ordered residents out by the end of the week. However, she said she had not seen any written documentation from the California Department of Social Services confirming that directive.
"I was told our residents needed to be moved by Friday," Garrett said. "I had not seen any physical evidence or anything of the state saying anything like that."
Garrett said some residents were on hospice and that a rushed move could be dangerous.
"A move can be very detrimental to them," she said. "I wished we could find a way around this altogether."
In a statement to CBS13, the California Department of Social Services said it was notified of the licensee's death on May 7. On May 12, department officials met with Ramos' family and the long-term care ombudsman to discuss the family's desire to close the facility.
A spokesperson for the department said there was no licensing violation and that officials were working with the family and administrators to relocate residents safely. The department said it was working to install a temporary manager at the facility for 60-90 days.