Jose Angel Garcia

My name is Jose Angel Garcia. I've lived in the Orange Mobile Home Park in Paramount, CA, for 17 years. My sister already lived here, and I decided to move here for financial reasons as well. It was a much cheaper option for my family.

We're not sure who owns our park, but we know it's an individual who owns about 30 parks in several different states. At first, the rent increases were more considerate, but eventually they went too high. We couldn't take it anymore and went on a rent strike until we reached an agreement with the owners.

In the last five years, they've raised the rent $300. The supervisor said it was due to inflation, but it affects us all. The minimum wage isn't enough. We also pay for water, electricity, gas, sanitation, and garbage. There are many disabled people here, including me, and people on social security. There are elderly people who have to choose between food and medication. I was injured at work and now I can't work. I'm not receiving any income.

We want the increases to be considerate. We want rent control for the entire city, not just for mobile homes. We want to protest without discrimination. People are afraid. We're suffering a lot.

We joined MHAction and formed a committee to achieve rental protections. We attend city council meetings every two weeks to give our testimonies. We're also going to other parks to inform people about their rights. I want this to reach the national level. We won't give up until we achieve our goal!