Does Folsom councilmember live outside his district? Here’s what we found
A Folsom councilmember has been accused by residents once again of failing to live in a district he represents. This time, the claims appear to be false.
The contention involves Councilmember Mike Kozlowski, who serves the city’s northern area divided by a river. He was elected to represent the 1st District in 2022, after officials sectioned the city. In California, a city council member must reside in the district that they represent.
Kozlowski appeared to live in a rental home outside the district in 2022, according to past Bee reporting. At the time, Kozlowski claimed he spent most nights in a trailer on a vacant lot bought in 2019. He said had plans to build a home at the Mountain View Drive location.
On Friday, Kozlowski’s home was still in progress.
The home’s outdoor deck offers panoramic views of Sacramento to the right and Rancho Seco Recreational Area to the left. A thermostat read 72 degrees and lights glowed over his office where he said he works on City Council matters and designs his home. The downstairs has a fully finished bathroom, multiple bedrooms and a living room with a TV where Kozlowski said he spends his weekends watching soccer. His kitchen is stocked with ingredients such as potatoes, long grain and short grain rice, wine, bananas and Panko bread crumbs.
“I finally, after many, many, many years, get to build my dream house for myself,” said Kozlowski, who is also an architect. “And I’ve been nothing but persecuted over it.”
On a separate visit last month, a neighbor said she saw cars pull in every evening and lights on every night. The neighbor, who did not want to be named for fear of retribution, said she has seen his adult son visit, too.
“There’s no evidence whatsoever that I did anything wrong,” Kozlowski said in a phone interview.
During five visits over the last two weeks, Kozlowski’s Mountain View Drive home had multiple cars parked on the property. On one occasion, a man walked into the home with what appeared to be a full laundry basket.
Residents have raised concerns for months about Kozlowski’s home, citing municipal codes that do not appear to relate to his situation.
Kozlowski’s residency first came into question in 2022, following reports that he was living in a 2,000-square-foot rental house on Hammond Court, outside of the 1st District — two miles away from his Mountain View Drive land. He bought the property in 2019, according to Sacramento County Assessor’s Office.
In October 2022, Kozlowski said he slept in the trailer on the property five nights a week and the home would be finished in April 2023. One neighbor disputed that claim, saying they never saw anyone enter the trailer. Other neighbors said that Kozlowski spent most of his time at the Hammond Court home, according to previous Bee reporting.
Kozlowski said he no longer rents that home or “any place on Earth.”
Kozlowski said he, his wife and one adult child live solely on his Mountain View Drive property, splitting time between the trailer and the partially constructed home. The house is fully functional with utilities, Kozlowski added.
He said the house has taken longer than anticipated to build because it is an “elaborate custom home.” He had the intention of hiring contractors, but prices ballooned as building material costs soared. Kozlowski, who expressed frustration with the ongoing allegations, declined to specify when the home would be completed.
“I’ve been reduced to doing a lot of the work myself,” he said.
Still, some residents remain concerned that Kozlowski is not living on the property. Their claims, some of which are false, appear to be tied to their political views of Kozlowski.
Orrin Heatlie, the chairman of an ongoing effort devoted to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, has asserted accusations in the last six months that Kozlowski does not live on his 1st District property.
“Folsom residents expect and deserve lawful, ethical representation,” Heatlie, wrote last month in a letter to the Folsom City Manager Bryan Whitemyer.
In December, he wrote a letter to the city of Folsom and demanded Kozlowski’s resignation. Heatlie later spoke out against Kozlowski during a City Council meeting in January.
Last month, he sent another letter to Whitemyer calling for an investigation. Heatlie cited multiple municipal codes, one of which says “no residential driveway shall be used for camping under this subsection for more than ten days during any one calendar month.”
The city attorney has not identified any reason to disqualify Kozlowski from running for or serving on the Folsom City Council, said city spokesperson Christine Brainerd in a written statement. Brainerd said the city investigated the residency allegations in October 2022.
“Based on my conversations with Council Member Kozlowski and my own observations, I believe he resides in District 1 at the address he reported,” Mayor Sarah Aquino said in a written statement.
Heatlie said he first heard of these concerns from Jackie Sellitti, a business owner in Folsom.
Sellitti looked into Kozlowski’s residency after she disagreed on his vote on an ordinance banning parking in public alleys in the Historical District. The passage of an ordinance, coupled with what she believed to be his disrespectful demeanor, amplified her concerns. Then, she learned of allegations he may not live in his district.
“Well, now I have a leg to stand on,” she said last week.
Kozlowski did not want to speculate on why his residency is continuously questioned.
“While this situation is frustrating, I remain dedicated to representing the District 1 residents of Folsom,” he said.
