IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. — Imperial Beach officials have stepped into a dispute between the landlord and residents of a South Bay mobile park community, after tenants said they are being forced to move out every six months.
Officials in Imperial Beach implemented an two month extension to the city’s September eviction moratorium in order to allow the issue at to be addressed.
Several tenants told FOX 5, however, that this is not a solution, but a temporary fix to an ongoing problem.
Carlos Lopez, a resident of the Miramar Mobile Park, said that living in the community has been nothing but headaches for the past two years.
“Every six months, I have to remove my trailer and stay for two or three days out … Sometimes I come back the next day,” he said. “Where do you go when you leave the property? The streets.”
Tenants say that this issue has been happening for years. Even with the moratorium, some continue to be fearful of eviction, choosing to roll out of the Palm Avenue property on their own accord.
“The stress of moving your whole house is a lot,” resident Rachel Orozco Ramirez said. “They continue to move us out every six months. The reason is for us not to be residents and gain rights.”
According to the city, the park owners argue that the current policy allows them to make repairs to the site. FOX 5 reached out to property staff, but were hung up on.
The extension will provide additional time for the property owners to work on an agreement with the tenants, city officials said.
“I brought forward the two month extension to ensure we brought the residents enough time for the lawyers representing the residents and the park owners to finalize their agreement,” Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre said in a statement to FOX 5.
The extension passed by the city council earlier this week will last through May and is set to expire on June 1.
Until then, Lopez is praying for stability while also complying with the rules, since moving to a different location is out of his budget.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said.
