Some attend protests, hoping that someone will listen; others stay home, scared that the local politicians will retaliate for speaking up against them; a few have given up in the fight.
Less than two months have passed since a judge ordered the indefinite closure of Park Granada Trailer Lodge Mobile, or Park Granada located at the corner of Main and Carson Street.
A three-minute drive and you will find yourself across Carson Civic Center and Park Avalon, a mobile home park in danger of closure. In the opposite direction in Alondra Blvd., rests Rancho Dominguez Mobile Estates, slated to shut down in two-and-a-half years.
In recent years the City of Carson has become a new hit for big shot developers. A newer Los Angeles County city off the 405 Freeway, the City Planning Commission has hoped to shift Carson from a manufacturing city with industrial and factory structures to a modern hip location to gather. But mobile home parks are seeing the consequences.
During a time where the coronavirus pandemic has claimed 24,685 lives in Los Angeles County, landlords continue to evict tenants and homeowners in land leases. Despite a federal ban to stop the displacements, Carson mobile home parks are in jeopardy. With three parks set to close and others on the verge, residents are experiencing emotional turmoil.
And residents of other mobile home parks are left wondering when they will be next.
Leonor Gonzalez, 48, has lived in Park Avalon for 13 years. When she is not handling resident concerns as their HOA secretary or organizing the next rally, she is receiving countless treatments for chronic pain.
Gonzalez cannot afford to move if the park closure plan finalizes. She has been on medical leave for six years. Her husband is the sole provider, and with one daughter in college and another starting this coming fall, money is scarce.
She said the hardest thing would be having to start all over again.
“This is my home. I was hoping to be there when I retire and now for someone to just come along and say, ‘this is what I am going to give you,’ it’s not fair to me. It’s not fair to my family,” she said.
Despite the uncertainty and stress, Gonzalez shows no signs of slowing down. After all, she is a cancer survivor. Giving up is not an option.
While some park residents have time to brainstorm a plan before moving, the residents living at Park Granada, the 26 unit mobile home park, did not have such luxury.
Peter Starflinger, owner of Park Granada, has filed bankruptcy several times. Residents say they were not surprised by his plans. But what happened next caused a panic.
The judge gave them until July 28 to leave their homes. No warning, just a two month notice.
Sergio Noyoa, 65, cleans what is left of his mother-in-law’s home. These days, she spends her time in a hospital bed due to health issues. The plan is for her to move in with him and his wife after she gets better.
Since the notice of eviction, Noyoa and his friend Enrique Garcia have spent weekend mornings moving heavy boxes, furniture and lumber. What Noyoa does not keep is driven the following day to Rosarito, a small Mexican beach town along the border to give to locals.
Noyoa says he blames the City of Carson for what is happening.
“The city says it is helping, but it’s just a fantasy, a fairytale,” he said in Spanish. “I pity all those politicians that side with injustice.”
Some Park Granada residents are refusing to vacate their homes. But others like Tina Delgadillo are ready to move on with their lives.
Delgadillo has lived in her quaint mobile home for 15 years. In those 15 years, she married, battled cancer and started a small candle business. She has lived comfortably, without the fear of figuring out how she will have to pay rent. But that comfort was taken.
She is moving to a smaller place not far from Park Granada. But her new rent is a 517% increase from what she is paying at the park. Delgadillo has gone from being a homeowner to a renter.
Heidi Marston, executive director of Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA claims that Los Angeles County is 500,000 short of needed affordable housing.
Carson mobile homes range from $300 to $500 in monthly land lease. The minimum rent in surrounding areas is approximately $1,400. For Delgadillo and other residents this just isn’t affordable.
Park Granada residents say they have experienced harassment from owner Peter Starflinger. Many residents have gotten in verbal altercations with Starflinger.
Noyoa said Starflinger forced him to remove a ramp he built for his handicapped family member.
Delgadillo says Starflinger targeting the most vulnerable, including the elderly and disabled, has been a common thing for years.
One Park Granada resident said she was terrified of speaking up because she was afraid that the City of Carson and Starflinger would come after her with vengeance.
“He has a way to get even,” Delgadillo said. “He has the money to back it up.”
This is a recurring theme within many seniors and non-English speaking residents, including in Park Avalon.
“A lot of the Hispanic residents are scared,” said Leonor Gonzalez. “They don’t know how to defend themselves.”
For Maria Orozco, uncertainty is not a huge worry anymore. Her home in Rancho Dominguez Mobile Estates will be closing in two-and-a-half years, and after an exhausting fight, residents won a better deal than what the owner initially had hoped to get. Yet, residents like Orozco had long-term plans of retirement and stability.
Residents living at the 81 unit park expressed that submitting a closure application during a pandemic was inhuman. Many residents said they experienced depression and intense anxiety.
Orozco plans to move to Lancaster with her daughter. She was diagnosed with throat cancer and wants to focus on her health. Something she has not been able to do with the pressure of potentially losing her home.
Back in Park Avalon, Gonzalez is back to rallying the 133 unit park. Her neighbors respect and admire her.
“We have to join with other parks because whatever happens with these parks are going to affect all the other parks,” said Gonzalez.
Sorry to hear what the residents of Park Granada are going through. I was a resident there for 21 years ending in 2003.