VENTURA : River Bottom Leader Pack-Rat Accepts Offer and Packs Up

After living the better part of the last 30 years in a camp beneath the Main Street bridge in Ventura, Pack-Rat, the self-proclaimed “Chief of the River Bottom,” will soon try life in a comfortable midtown Ventura home.

On Friday, the 55-year-old Pack-Rat became the guest of Mark Conroy, who turned over a bedroom of his home to help ease the growing problem of people living along the Ventura River.

“My wife and I are doing this from our hearts,” said Conroy, 37, a local oil-field worker. “I hope that by taking this action, other people will consider getting involved. I know what it’s like to be poor, and it’s not a lot of fun.”

For Pack-Rat, whose real name is Ray Mahala, living in Conroy’s home will be welcome relief from the harsh environment of the river bottom.

“The first thing I want to do is to take a very long, very hot bath,” said Pack-Rat, a familiar face around Ventura’s downtown who is known for his head-to-toe leather garb and fur cap.

“More importantly, I hope that others living on the river bottom will consider getting help and moving out. It’s a very rough life. I hope they’ll say that ‘if Pack-Rat can do it, I can do it,’ ” he said.

Pack-Rat’s moving day was heralded by a news conference called by the social service agencies and individual supporters who helped coax the grizzled man from his encampment.

During the event, Pack-Rat was presented with a cake that was inscribed: “I did it my way--bye bye river bottom--my home of 30 years.” About a dozen river bottom residents attended to wish Pack-Rat farewell and to collect several bags of donated groceries.

Mariano (Junior) Garcia, founder of the Ventura-based homeless assistance organization Helping Hand, said that officials of the Ventura County Commission on Human Concerns and Ventura Councilman Jim Monahan also played a part in luring Pack-Rat from his camp.

“We felt that helping Pack-Rat move out first was important, because he has the respect of so many people that live on the river bottom,” Garcia said. “We hope that others will see that there are alternatives to their living situations and that people do care about their welfare.”

Pack-Rat, who gained his nickname for his skill at rooting valuables from the trash, said he now wants to help others leave the river bottom, where authorities estimate 200 people live.