Sam Porter

In the shadow of the twin peaks of Saddleback, high on a bluff overlooking Trabuco Creek lies Sam Porter's 300-acre Trabuco Highlands Ranch and, on it, one of Orange County's most unlikely housing developments. Though the views are gorgeous, the rents are rock-bottom. The homes, some in a cluster and others scattered around the property, are a barn-like building, a converted boxcar, an old school bus, several travel trailers and an assortment of tents and homemade cabins.

This is a tale of the Orange County that once was a place where people came for space and freedom and discovered the world was rushing in right behind them. It is also about love, loss, and, above all, Jeanne Porter and her late husband, Sam. They, or rather Jeanne, represents the last of a kind: Possessor of one of the few privately owned ranches left in south Orange County. When they moved there 22 years ago, the Porters could see one light in the distance.

The 10-year-old pipe dream that was Porterville is gone, dismantled by controversial retired rancher Sam Porter in a long-running dispute over illegal water hookups and creeping development. Porterville, an enclave of low-income families that rented the ramshackle collection of abandoned boxcars, shacks and trailers on Porter's Trabuco Canyon property, had become "economically unfeasible," said Porter, 61, who claimed he was "harassed to death" by county fire and health agencies, which finally ordered the settlement closed.

Fresh flowers, black ribbons and handwritten messages now adorn the locked gate that Sam Porter spent his last years fighting. The gate, which separates Porter's Trabuco Highlands Ranch from an adjacent housing development, has become a memorial to his life and his ideals. Known as colorful, boisterous and opinionated, Porter, 68, died Sunday, a week after breaking his hip during a fall on his beloved 233-acre ranch, said his wife of 23 years, Jeanne. "He was so unique. He was larger than life.

The tiny makeshift community of Porterville has survived floods, windstorms, the Great Indian Trail fire of 1980, long periods without electricity or water and countless other deprivations for nearly 12 years. But these days, an air of fearful uncertainty grips the 160 residents of Sam Porter's Trabuco Highlands Ranch. While children still shriek with laughter while racing on their bikes along the endless bumpy dirt roads, their parents wonder and worry about how long they will have a home.

As a resident of neighboring Modjeska Canyon, I read with interest the article regarding the Porterville controversy (Feb. 28). The issues are not "selective prosecution," "blatant violation" or the existence of a "shantytown." The issue is whether or not the greed and insensitivity of a public utility will displace 14 families. Sam Porter is apparently a man who, out of compassion, has provided a haven for those less fortunate than himself. In nine years, no one has suffered as a result of their presence on his property.

Supervisor Roger Stanton's exposure at this time for violation of the county TIN CUP ordinance and the California State Fair Political Practices Act was for the benefit of the Baldwin Co. Supervisor Thomas Riley's vote for Paul Hegness' developer clients after accepting a $250 company contribution from Mr. Hegness lacked ethical and moral judgment. Supervisor Gaddi Vasquez's Oct. 7 fund-raiser in a non-election year reads like a Who's Who of the development industry. In observance of the Constitution's anniversary, they have abandoned the pretense of impartial government and have their meetings at the "prestigious Lincoln Club," where a ritualistic serpentine chain dance occurs.

Fresh flowers, black ribbons and handwritten messages now adorn the locked gate that Sam Porter spent his last years fighting. The gate, which separates Porter's Trabuco Highlands Ranch from an adjacent housing development, has become a memorial to his life and his ideals. Known as colorful, boisterous and opinionated, Porter, 68, died Sunday, a week after breaking his hip during a fall on his beloved 233-acre ranch, said his wife of 23 years, Jeanne. "He was so unique. He was larger than life.

A frontier-style confrontation ended peacefully Monday when Trabuco Canyon rancher Sam Porter and his neighbor struck a compromise that will allow 80 people to continue using a dirt road to reach their homes on Porter's property. Owners of Sakaida Nursery early Monday briefly blocked the only road leading to Porter's 236-acre spread after complaining that Porter had repeatedly failed to adequately secure a gate on the private road that runs through the nursery.

Despite orders from Orange County to evict 160 tenants from his property, Sam Porter let the eviction deadline lapse Thursday without removing anyone from the ramshackle encampment they occupy on Trabuco Highlands Ranch. Rather than evict people he considers "family," the 63-year-old rancher vowed to fight the county's effort to dismantle Porterville, an isolated community allegedly rife with zoning, health and fire-code violations.

Despite orders from Orange County to evict 160 tenants from his property, Sam Porter let the eviction deadline lapse Thursday without removing anyone from the ramshackle encampment they occupy on Trabuco Highlands Ranch. Rather than evict people he considers "family," the 63-year-old rancher vowed to fight the county's effort to dismantle Porterville, an isolated community allegedly rife with zoning, health and fire-code violations.

The tiny makeshift community of Porterville has survived floods, windstorms, the Great Indian Trail Fire of 1980, long periods without electricity or water and countless other deprivations for nearly 12 years. But these days, an air of fearful uncertainty grips the 160 residents of the Trabuco Highlands Ranch, which was established by 63-year-old contractor and rancher Sam Porter. Children still shriek with laughter while racing on their bikes along the endless bumpy dirt roads.

The tiny makeshift community of Porterville has survived floods, windstorms, the Great Indian Trail fire of 1980, long periods without electricity or water and countless other deprivations for nearly 12 years. But these days, an air of fearful uncertainty grips the 160 residents of Sam Porter's Trabuco Highlands Ranch. While children still shriek with laughter while racing on their bikes along the endless bumpy dirt roads, their parents wonder and worry about how long they will have a home.

A year ago embattled contractor Sam Porter had his wagons drawn and was hurling well-aimed verbal potshots at county building inspectors, fellow board members of the Trabuco Canyon Water District, mega-developer William Lyon and anyone else who sought to meddle with his unconventional ideas. "People have described me as cantankerous and difficult, but I'm like Jim Bowie at the Alamo, I never run away," he said in an interview then.

A frontier-style confrontation ended peacefully Monday when Trabuco Canyon rancher Sam Porter and his neighbor struck a compromise that will allow 80 people to continue using a dirt road to reach their homes on Porter's property. Owners of Sakaida Nursery early Monday briefly blocked the only road leading to Porter's 236-acre spread after complaining that Porter had repeatedly failed to adequately secure a gate on the private road that runs through the nursery.

The 10-year-old pipe dream that was Porterville is gone, dismantled by controversial retired rancher Sam Porter in a long-running dispute over illegal water hookups and creeping development. Porterville, an enclave of low-income families that rented the ramshackle collection of abandoned boxcars, shacks and trailers on Porter's Trabuco Canyon property, had become "economically unfeasible," said Porter, 61, who claimed he was "harassed to death" by county fire and health agencies, which finally ordered the settlement closed.

The tiny makeshift community of Porterville has survived floods, windstorms, the Great Indian Trail Fire of 1980, long periods without electricity or water and countless other deprivations for nearly 12 years. But these days, an air of fearful uncertainty grips the 160 residents of the Trabuco Highlands Ranch, which was established by 63-year-old contractor and rancher Sam Porter. Children still shriek with laughter while racing on their bikes along the endless bumpy dirt roads.

I don't care how "colorful" or "controversial" a "maverick" Sam Porter is, he has no business having anything named after him, let alone a street that already has an established name. I don't know Sam Porter. In fact, I had never heard of him before the last election. I don't live anywhere near the Trabuco Highlands development, but I do live in an area that is still littered with the detritus of his unsuccessful campaign for a seat on the County Board of Supervisors. Bastanchury, State College Boulevard and Imperial Highway in North Orange County are still marred by warped, drooping homemade signs trumpeting that he is not obligated to any developer and that he is a good friend of the environment.

As a resident of neighboring Modjeska Canyon, I read with interest the article regarding the Porterville controversy (Feb. 28). The issues are not "selective prosecution," "blatant violation" or the existence of a "shantytown." The issue is whether or not the greed and insensitivity of a public utility will displace 14 families. Sam Porter is apparently a man who, out of compassion, has provided a haven for those less fortunate than himself. In nine years, no one has suffered as a result of their presence on his property.