A local family lost their livelihood, business, and housing due to months of harassment and an act of vandalism against their food truck resulting in thousands of lost revenue.
The husband and wife duo Rodrigo Rodriguez and Silvia Loya made their dream of owning a small buisness a reality in July 2021 when they brought Algo Bueno, a Latin-fusion food truck, to Chula Vista. The couple worked toward their dream of buying their own home and had been residents at the Chula Vista Elks RV park #2011 since 2018.
“We bought an RV, and they let us stay there. You could be there permanently as long as you abide by the rules such as cleaning your spot and being an Elk in good standing,” Rodriguez said.
The Elks Lodge is an American fraternal order or social club founded in 1868. Today there are more than 2,000 Lodges throughout the United States and 850,000 members. It also has a charitable arm, the Elks National Foundation, which funds projects that improve the quality of life in local Elks communities.
According to Rodriguez, the Elks Lodge had completed the same construction that had already occurred in 2020 as a tactic to evacuate the property, and “that is where it got sticky,” he said.
After attending a meeting at the Elks Lodge to ask for an extension, Rodriguez was granted a hardship that allowed the family to stay until mid-March. The family also sought a food truck commissary and filed all required documentation to the Elks Lodge House Committee Personal of the time, Steve Fialko, which eventually received approval.
In August 2021, Algo Bueno served at the Lemon Festival in Chula Vista and decided to attain an alcohol permit.
“I got with my nonprofit, the Elks. I asked for the avenues and got permission. We pulled a permit, and in return, we donated proceeds to the Elks,” Rodriguez said.
Algo Bueno had a surplus in alcohol after the event and requested permission for its storage at the Elks Lodge. According to Rodriguez, Fialko and other board members helped unload the supply. About a month later on Sept. 30, 2021, the establishment was raided by undercover agents due to accusations made by a member of the Elks Lodge for misuse of an Alcohol License.
“This where is where everything went downhill,” Rodriguez said. “I did what an Elk should, and went to the secretary the same day to file a complaint.”
In October, tensions began to rise as Rodriguez attempted to pay rent at the lodge and were met with resistance. It took until Oct.12 for the lodge to accept their rent.
“I had to go to the Secretary of the Lodge, Laurie Ayala. She took my payment, gave me a receipt, and everything was fine until I started getting text messages,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said he began receiving harassment via text message by RV host KC Savage, requesting proof of documentation for asking for their vehicles and their insurance despite being on a hardship with the lodge.
Over a month later on Nov.10, Rodriguez and his neighbor David Zwickl received notices of upcoming construction that required them to relocate. On Nov. 12, Rodriguez questioned the board in which Savage resigned as RV host.
During that time, Elks Lodge #2011 had an internal audit from the governing Elks in the region due to financial fraud and the misuse of allocated funds.
On Nov.19, Rodriguez discovered that the Algo Bueno food trailer had been vandalized. According to a Chula Vista Police Department report, the 2020 Vimar Utility trailer was disconnected from a power source at approximately 7:20 p.m.
The trailer, which had a permit for storage on space #16 at the Elks Lodge, contained two refrigerators full of food for an upcoming event.
“Rodriguez discovered a loss of $1100 worth of spoiled food items that had to be discarded,” the report read.
A surveillance video confirmed a suspect, identified as current Elks Lodge member Robert Stiehle, according to the report. President of the Elks Lodge, Daniel Rice told police he believed Stiehle unplugged the food truck because “it was very close to the waste disposal” following complaints of inaccessibility of the area.
According to CVPD Lt. Dan Peak, this is a felony vandalism investigation.
“It's a very specific case. Normally in a vandalism case, you have somebody throw a rock through a window, right, or spray paint a wall. This is a very unique set of circumstances,” Peak said.
The Elks Lodge is no longer commissary to Algo Bueno, resulting in the inability to renew their permit.
"They basically shut me down completely," Rodriguez said.
In early January, Chula Vista Councilmember Jill Galvez “opened up her heart and opened up her home to us to exit that toxic environment,” Rodriguez said. The family will rent with Galvez until March 1.
“She was our angel. My kids were able to experience being in a bigger home. She opened my eyes; this is what people are supposed to do. She is not an organization, she's just a person,” Rodriguez said.
According to Lt. Dan Peak, “the investigation speaks for itself", and investigators hope to have this case to the District Attorney's Office shortly.
“We do have some video of what happened. So we're hopeful that the victim will get some justice,” Peak said.
