Headlines & History since 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2026
Vol. 147 No. 32
$1.00
Warren was suspended from police department Nathan Wilson Columbia Gorge News
Victor Baca for The Sentinel
UNRESOLVED ISSUES: It used to be called Cottonwood. Today the Goldendale Mobile Home & RV Park is facing significant issues, according to sources.
Goldendale mobile home park dealing with major issues Lorrie Fox For The Sentinel Conditions at the Goldendale Motor Home & RV Park on Columbus Avenue—formerly known as the Cottonwood Mobile Home Park—have been seriously problematic, according to multiple sources. Some have alleged raw sewage leaking on the ground, black mold in the park’s bathroom and laundry room, and non-working water, among other issues. “[It’s] just basic human rights,” one source told The Sentinel on condition of anonymity. “[Residents] should have running water and a restroom to use. Nobody should be forced to use a bucket [to relieve themselves] or take a shower outside with a garden hose because there’s no functioning restroom.” Many residents seem caught between wanting the suspected problems addressed and fearing what could happen if authorities intervened. “If somebody pursues the [sewage leak], and the state and the city and the county are called on the carpet for letting this go, they’re going to have to close the park. And if they close the park, there’s going to be a lot of homeless people. Immediately,” the source said. The Sentinel’s investigation reveals steps are being taken to deal with the sewer problem, while other concerns still linger. There was also an issue with the business entity that ostensibly owns the park. The Goldendale MH & RV Park LLC is listed on the Washington State Secretary of State website as a foreign limited liability company that was formed on July 9, 2021, with John McDougall recorded as governor. (A foreign limited liability company is an LLC formed outside of Washington State.) But the entity did not renew its corporate annual report last year, and as a result it was terminated in November 2025. The LLC did complete its annual report on August 10, 2026—two days ago, after it learned of The Sentinel’s investigation. For the months between November and this past Monday, it continued to conduct business, which is illegal in Washington State once a business entity has been terminated. According to an unofficial copy of the real estate contract at Klickitat County Self Service Web, the Cottonwood RV Park LLC was purchased by Goldendale MH & RV Park LLC on July 29, 2021, for $900,000. Per the contract, the final remaining balance came due last month. As of publication date, The Sentinel has not been able to confirm whether a warranty deed or other document has been signed indicating that the contract has been released. Goldendale MH & RV Park LLC is managed by Monte Christo Communities LLC, a property management company based in Sacramento, California. A business search on the California Sec-
retary of State website found that the Monte Christo Communities’ LLC registration and Articles of Organization were filed on October 29, 2019, with California as its jurisdiction. The entity is listed as active and in good standing, and John McDougall is recorded as “manager or member.” In a YouTube video called “Monte Christo Communities— Who We Are,” the company identifies McDougall as co-founder and CEO and Brock Kaveny as co-founder and director of business development. The two are indicated as its founders. The video extols the spiritual and ethical virtues held by the company in its attitude toward its business and residents of its several parks. Monte Christo Communities manages 90 properties throughout California, Nevada, and Oregon, with the Goldendale site being its sole Washington property. Longtime resident’s concerns One longtime resident has lived at the park on and off for several decades. He said he has knowledge of the park dating back to
He said sewer problems have been an ongoing concern for years. ‘The sewer issues have been there from day one.’ when it was known as Sterling Mobile Home Park and said the property was once substantially different. (The park was first opened in 1959.) Under a previous local owner, the resident said, water, trash, and septic service were included in the rent. “Back then, everything was included.” After ownership changed, utilities were separated from rent while housing costs increased and services and amenities declined, he added. He said sewer problems have been an ongoing concern at the park for years. “The sewer issues have been from day one.” The park has repeatedly relied on Roto-Rooter to address backups rather than making more extensive repairs to the sewer system, according to the resident, who also estimated that the service had been called out numerous times at a cost of roughly $1,000 per visit. He also described an incident last year involving another resident whose sewer connection to their trailer had failed. The resident said he witnessed the other resident dumping human waste into their yard because they had no functioning sewer connection. He documented what they witnessed, contacted the park’s management, and said the city became involved, but “nothing
ever came of it.” The resident said the park has also experienced frequent turnover in management and estimates there have been seven managers in about five years. One particular manager stood out to the resident because that person attempted to address problems residents had been reporting, including inspecting sewer lines and involving the city. According to the resident, that manager was subsequently fired, and most managers have worked for the park for only six or seven months. The resident said the current manager has acknowledged residents’ concerns about the company and appears to expect that their own tenure may also be short-lived. According to the resident, a recent effort to restore the park’s public restroom facilities came after officials gave the park a 30day deadline to bring them back in operation. However, rather than restoring the former men’s and women’s restroom facilities, the resident said the park began constructing a single unisex bathroom containing one toilet and one shower. The resident viewed the change as an attempt to meet the minimum requirements imposed by officials rather than restore the facilities residents had previously used. He also described what he considered to be a pressure-filled lease-signing process. Management held “a gathering,” as they called it, at the park office and distributed new lease agreements. According to the resident, people living in the park were told, “Don’t read nothing. Just sign here, sign here,” and that they would have to leave the park if they did not sign the agreements. Co-founder response The Sentinel spoke with Brock Kaveny, one of the co-founders of Monte Christo Communities LLC, the company that manages the Goldendale MH & RV Park, in a phone conversation. Kaveny said that the company has been operating mobile home and RV parks for about 15 years. When asked about the sewer concerns, Kaveny acknowledged that the park had experienced a sewer backup and that the company used a camera to inspect the sewer lines. He stated that there are currently no active sewer leaks or sewer backups. Kaveny said additional work may still be needed on a slow-draining sewer line and that he had approved a payment of approximately $15,000 to $18,000 for what he was told was the final portion of the repairs. Kaveny said that Monte Christo had not received complaints from residents about the sewer issue. He said the company is willing to address problems and invited The Sentinel to visit the Goldendale property. Senior Services Sharon Carter, director of Klickitat County Senior Services and Mt. Adams Transportation,
See Park page B1
City records show that Tony Warren, one of three candidates vying to be the next sheriff of Klickitat County, was suspended once and ultimately resigned from the Bingen-White Salmon Police Department (BWSPD), shortly after receiving notice of an internal investigation being opened over allegations of misconduct. Notably, neither of the incidents precluded Warren from continuing his career in law enforcement. Warren joined BWSPD in 2008, and at the beginning of 2014, then Chief Tracy Wyckoff suspended Warren for two days without pay. Warren had beenscheduled to be the only one on patrol starting at 6 a.m. New Year’s Day, but Warren texted Wyckoff that he wouldn’t be able to work a few minutes after his shift began, according to a subsequent report written by Wyckoff. On Jan. 2, 2014, Wyckoff had already entered Warren’s missed time as sick leave; however, Warren then admitted he had “brown bag flu.” “Officer Warren, in my opinion, was negligent on his part
Warren campaign website
FACED DISCIPLINE: Candidate for Klickitat County Sheriff Tony Warren resigned from his position rather than face disciplinary action.
for intentionally consuming too much alcohol,” Wyckoff wrote in the report, also noting that he failed to follow proper notification procedures and originally gave a false reason. “Officer Warren’s attitude and actions jeopardize the integrity of the department and him as a Police Officer.” “I had too much to drink that night, and I didn’t feel good the next day, so I called in sick. I didn’t show up drunk,” Warren said in an interview. “It shouldn’t have happened. I made that mistake, but I did the right thing, and I called in sick.” In July 2017, records also show that Wyckoff demoted Warren from detective to patrol officer. Wyckoff, now Skamania County’s undersheriff, declined to comment, but Warren said it was more of a natural progression rather than a demotion. Warren worked as a dedicated detective for roughly five years,
See Warren page A6
Drivers disregarded bridge closures Rodger Nichols For The Sentinel The August 4 Klickitat County Commission meeting was a short one, just 45 minutes for the morning workshop and just over an hour for the formal afternoon session. In that workshop, commissioners were reminded of a public wastewater rate increase hearing in Dallesport: “The public hearing in Dallesport is for their rate increase for the periods September 1 2026 to August of 2027,” said Public Works Director Jeff Hunter. That hearing is August 8 at the Dallesport Community Center at 6 o’clock.” Hunter also shared the disdain some citizens had for the bridge repair: “We’ve had people open our closures,” he said, “and drive across the bridges. And because our people removed the barricades and drove across the bridges, the county has now assumed any liability for the last two bridges we’ve done.” Fortunately, the epoxy used in the repairs appeared to have set in time.
“If that had been a concrete deck, we’d have found out who drove across, because they’d have been stuck in the middle, and nobody could afford the bill that would have been.” Planning Director Scott Edelman reported on the status of the proposed solar and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) ordinance: “The solar and BESS ordinance is still under review by outside legal counsel,” he said. “He’s shooting for early September to get full comments back, including a draft of our ordinance. He went a little beyond our initial scope but I think its going to be a better product that will move us forward a lot better.” Commissioners also asked County Administrator Robb Van Cleave, who had planned to leave at the end of the year, to stay on up to six more months to help find his successor. And in the afternoon session, Jail Administrator Bill Frantz honored Corporal Robert Cooper, who prevented an attempt-
See County page B1
For state GOP, primary results are alarming Aspen Ford and Jerry Cornfield Washington State Standard David Stuebe gets a lot of phone calls from constituents, more than usual these days as he campaigns for reelection to the Washington Legislature. Ahead of this month’s primary, the first-term House Republican received a particularly jarring call. The person didn’t ask about his vote against a new state income tax on higher earners or his opposition to a gas tax increase that Democrats pushed through a year ago. They wanted to know his stance on the war with Iran, which is unfolding 7,000 miles from Stuebe’s district. That’s when it hit home. For many voters, Tuesday’s primary wasn’t about what state lawmakers were doing in Olympia. They
were paying attention to Washington, D.C. “I honestly think people are so mad with Trump that they say, if you’re an R, then you’re a Trumpster and you’re evil,” Stuebe said. “Why aren’t people in tune? Why aren’t they looking at what’s happening with the state?” Primary results suggest that for GOP candidates in Washington, there’s no escaping headwinds created by President Donald Trump. If Republicans appeared unified with the national party, they were out of sync with the state’s electorate. That sentiment was especially strong in southwest Washington, where Stuebe, who also serves as mayor of Washougal, trails Diana Perez, a Democrat, by more than 4,000 votes. Stue-
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