Summary of my Plight.

Hello friends I know I did not keep my word in keeping up with the blog, let me give everyone a summary on what has taken up my time. I decided a better way to honor Hispanic Heritage Month is through actions for the community!

I live in a mobile home community and on August 27, 2020 my sister sent me a message containing a picture of an unknown woman who was going onto our property. We did NOT know who this woman was but took a picture of her for the future. That particular day I received a Seven Day Notice to comply letter, demanding that 8 things be accommodated to or... "Failure to comply with this notice may result in eviction.

1. Repair or replace awning supports.

2. Remove chimney attached to roof.

3. Instal carpet to back steps and properly install steps. Carpet color must be approved and must be the same color.

4. Wash your home

5. Remove tape from windows. Replace window screens and frame or remove all screens.

6. remove all improper storage.

7. All trash must be disposed of in accordance with Community procedures.

8. Plants must be planted or removed.

The most alarming thing on this list was number 2 because my mobile home came with the chimney and sold to me by Santiago Mountain View Estates back in 2008.

I found out that at the bottom of this letter there was a new name, we will call her Susan. The manager we have had is not Susan (we will call her Tess).

For the past 2 years this manager, Tess has been so disrespectful to the Spanish speaking community that in 2017 we had enough and we demanded to have a meeting with corporate, with a translator so that they would be able to communicate with their tenants....this was denied to us. They sent only an English speaker to attend the meeting.

I proceeded to promptly email this Susan and asked about the chimney, that way I could comply with the 7 day notice. I informed her that I had been living here for 10 years and that is how the home was manufactured to me, how can Santiago Mountain View Estates be selling something then it being against their own regulations?

Susan did not have an answer to me, actually her emails were full of grammatical and spelling errors and she responded to me with an incomplete sentence with no answer. I got fed up and contacted some higher and demanded to know who this new person was (Susan) and what her duties were being that the letter stated she is Authorized Management Agent.

I emailed Susan and she told me she was the compliance inspector for Santiago, who is she?? Is it not illegal not to give us an answer? Even worse that management did not tell us someone was coming into our property and taking pictures with out a mask to do this during these times?

I demanded to know who this new person was, I demanded to know what her duties were and why now we were being asked to have a manager and another person to adhere to without even having one letter informing us. I demanded all letters to be sent in Spanish so that everyone would have the equal access to defend themselves. (This community is about 90%) Spanish speaking only.

I might note that the week these demands were sent out the fires here in San Bernardino were so bad that the air quality was dangerous! El dorado fire and others were so strong the air was so thick and with the heat wave these demands were too much for me.

I believe that my email was responded to me on the last day of the seven day compliance window. I was so stressed out, long story short so many misunderstandings and I was so frustrated I broke out in a rash, and got sick. I received a follow up inspection and notice where once again Susan came and she was NOT wearing a mask until I asked her to.

Basically this was a horrible ordeal, and I speak English!! I wondered, how is the Spanish speaking community doing with this if I am having such a hard time!! I decided to get to the bottom of things.

First day: (Wednesday September 30, 2020)

I contacted the Chicano Latino Caucus of San Bernardino and asked for help, they were so nice and really moved to help us in everything I was telling them. They basically guided me into planning a meeting to get everyone who is being mistreated together. This is what set everything in motion .

I set out and started knocking on doors. Our mobile home park has 155 homes and was only able to do 13 by myself the first day because every one of them had a similar story. They had all been receiving 7 day notice of compliances and some demands ranged to thousands in demands for example painting the whole home with approved colors by management within 7 days..... mind you many people have lost their jobs and they probably do not even understand these notices!!

Added to that

-Everyone wanted the notices in Spanish because they could not understand and everyone complained how mistreated they were by Tess the manager. From her walking away from tenants in mid sentence, to raising her voice at people to just simply being in her office and locking the door while people call her and her refusing to open. Company policy is that we have to go out of our way to find a translator or contact the office for clarification. How can anyone do that if this person refuses to open doors and if you do catch her her response to us is her Spanish isn't good enough to help us??

Second day:(Thursday October 1, 2020)

I looked up my council man and contacted the offices, I told him everything I had heard thus far and he contacted me stating he was interested in what is happening and that he would be coming to the meeting I am planning on Saturday.

My amazing friend who works in many local organizations offered to help me walk around and this is the day I met this amazing couple. This started out with a simple exchange of information. Mrs. M had contacted me because she was having plumbing issues, amazing super nice elderly woman. I went to her home and I was going to provide her some numbers she could call. I told her I as planning meeting based on the 7 day notices of compliance, I asked her if she had received one.

Mrs.M told me she had received a letter but like all others she did not understand what it said, I told her I would be more than happy to translate to her. To my horror this letter was the last notice to comply or company would be starting the eviction process!! What Santiago Mountain View Estates wanted done was so much it seemed like they wanted a brand new home!!! The money it would take to do all these changes was so much it was crazy!!

I decided their case was one of the most severe, I proceeded to sit-down and write out all the list of demands in Spanish for this couple to understand and organized so that the following day me and my siblings would come and help her with the compliances.

I kept walking and found so many other stories, one where a man was ordered to take out his air conditioning because management did not get notified before hand even though it was during a heat wave and their toddler broke out in a heat rash because of this.

Another neighbor has an elderly sister who is incapacitated and needed a ramp and management quickly went to their home to hassle them about the ramp even though it is needed bc since it is COVID-19 this family had to take in the sick sister.

These are just a few stories. The elderly couple was the most in shock because these types of things really hit them hard emotionally.

Third day Friday October 2, 2020 : I woke up with my siblings and went to go help out this elderly couple, we got a lot of work done but a lot needed to be done still. I saw how this beautiful couple was so dismayed and so distraught and worried because this type of news is hard on any family or person especially when you have a limited income.

I worked on contacting as many entities as I could, setting up a gofund me, seeking out all the resources I could to become educated on this issue.

In the afternoon starting at 5 I went on home by home. This time I found another Mexican family, I saw three women working away making face masks and many children with them. I proceeded to invite them to my community meeting and found out they were being served eviction notices and had 30 days to leave.

Fourth Day: Saturday October 3, 2020

On this day I rested but was still looking up organizations and printing out flyers planning for my meeting. I was so exhausted and had been planning to go to a baby shower but I knew I had to keep pushing I kept walking by myself and kept on working on Mrs. M and Mr.M home to help out.

Fifth Day: Sunday October 4, 2020

I woke up early and started looking on to who I could contact, I contacted Mrs. Eloise and Mr. James Ramos and wrote to them about what is happening.

I received word from the amazing elderly couple that the financial means were taken care of and that they would not need the money being set up via go fund me. The people taking over told me I could keep the money for what I was doing but I felt that it would be unethical of me to take the money intended for another purpose so I refunded everyone, when you know you are working from your heart you know that things will be taken care of....

as of now I am super tired and this is a summed up version of so many happenings I just wish to share with all of you what has been happening.

Thank you to everyone who donated I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart and thank you to those who have supported me and given me resources!! This is especially thank you!! Especially Christian Flores from ICUC for doing the ground work with me.

As of now: I have yet to find one paper from Santiago Mountain View Estates in Spanish at all from the 155 people living in this community. NOT ONE!