The struggle for the right to housing in Southeast Los Angeles is now taking the form of alliances between residents of different mobile home parks in multiple cities. Bell New Dawn, the group formed in the City of Bell to defend that City's mobile home parks, is now supporting mobile home parks in neighboring Pico Rivera.
Bell New Dawn's Merli Albizures and Betsy G. Alcivar spoke with Maria Aguilar, a mobile park home resident in Westland Mobile Estate Mobile Home Park in Pico Rivera. Albizures noted that Westland park has many senior residents, like the mobile home parks in Bell.
Aguilar said, "For the last five years, we've had the problem that they keep increasing the rent by 7%. The rent has been increasing from $1,200 to $1,500, so I worry about seniors, people living on a fixed income. That's why we are rising up and protesting."
Aguilar added, "We have veterans, disabled people who can't work, people living paycheck to paycheck, who have to choose between paying rent or buying food."
A "Rally for Rent Control" organized by Diego Rubalcava-Avarez, has been planned for the April 13th, 2021, outside City Hall just as the City Council meets. The description on Facebook reads "Hold city councilmembers accountable! Tell Erik Lutz, Monica Sánchez, and Raul Elias to keep their promises to support rent control for mobile homes."
Regardless of the outcome at this meeting of the City Council, community member Maria Aguilar spoke to Political Life, and said "We want to come together with other mobile home parks, we are not going to stop until we achieve justice."
Members of the public wishing to address the City Council may send emails to PUBLICCOMMENTS@PICO-RIVERA.ORG