Paramount families fear eviction after new RV park owners raise rent

Residents of a mobile home park in Paramount fear that they may soon be homeless after being served eviction notices.

The new owners of Elijah Park, formerly known as The Wheel Trailer Park, in Paramount have raised rent for families. Tenants say they’re now expected to pay double, and for some even triple, what they were paying before.

When tenants told the new owners they could not afford the rent increases, the residents received a notice of eviction.

“I can’t sleep at night,” said a worried teen in an interview with Telemundo 52. “My family doesn’t know what we’re going to do.”

Many have been living in the RV park for years. Some residents say they bought their trailers with their life savings.  

Maria Velediaz, a senior resident of Elijah Park, says she’s considering stopping her medication in order to save money.

"I’m going to be homeless,” she told Telemundo 52.

Families went to the Paramount City Council, seeking help for what they’re saying is an injustice. 

However, a representative of LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn clarified that what residents received was not an eviction order and was only a notice. The representative proposed that the Paramount City Council adopt the California mobile home residency law as an ordinance, which limits rent increases, but only in unincorporated communities in Los Angeles County.

Residents are asking for compensation or relocation. The tenants will meet with city officials in two weeks for an update. 

When asked about the situation, Paramount spokesperson Chris Callard said the owners of Elijah Park had not yet applied for a business license with the city and that “while a business license is a City requirement it is not an endorsement by the City of business practices nor is it confirmation that the property meets all State and local codes.” 

He also noted that trailer parks were directly regulated by the State of California. Callard reported that Paramount Mayor Isabel Aguayo had been in contact with Governor Newsom’s office in order to determine if the mobile home park had the required State permits needed to operate. In response, the State of California's Department of Housing and Community Development said this:

"The permit to operate (PTO) for this trailer park is expired. An expired PTO, however, does not evolve into a suspended PTO. The Department only suspends a PTO for health and safety issues."

Telemundo 52 attempted to contact the new company who manages Elijah Park but did not receive a response.