It’s Lupe. My move to Denver was rushed as the new buyer needed to move in earlier due to the passing of her spouse. We missed a few final goodbyes and a few packed boxes in the closet.

I was relieved and sad when I drove out of Ranch La Paz Mobile Park. I would no longer be called by the residents with problems and fears, and I would also miss many of those residents.

I was the HOA president there for four years. I led the fight to keep our rents affordable when a predatory buyer bought the park, and the rent increases he sent us were frightening and unsustainable for seniors on fixed incomes.

After a long fight and the huge support of Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, we got our residents protected with more reasonable increases. Without the help of the Fullerton Observer and the great coverage of our rent issue, this would not have happened. We will never be able to express our gratitude to this newspaper and the support we received.

My compromised health (acute leukemia) became worse after developing a heart condition. The stress experienced was a factor. I had to think about my future as a single mobile home owner on leased land.

All the reasons I had for buying a mobile home were no longer valid. When I sold my home in the mountains, I thought I would save money; the grounds would be maintained, it would be a safe, gated senior location, I would still have a home I would own, and the space rental was very affordable—$ 600 per month. Two years later, we were told the park had been sold. We received our first notice of an increase of almost $400 monthly. The elderly residents were experiencing heart attacks, suicide attempts, and mental breakdowns. Where will an extra $400 a month come from when your total income is social security?

I stayed up three days in a row reading everything I could find on mobile home laws in California. What was happening was all legal. I figured we had to fight this, not walk away or give up. We had many residents with beginning stages of dementia, heart conditions, oxygen machines, wheelchairs, and countless senior health problems. It just did not seem possible that no one seemed to care.

We even found that there are classes and schools that teach investors how to buy senior mobile home parks and force them to move out by raising rents and repurposing the land. The only big pieces of land without hundred-unit condo developments in many cities are the mobile home parks. Seniors, disabled, and low-income people are quickly losing the last available affordable housing they once had access to. Yet our citizens and local elected officials wonder why the homeless numbers are increasing.

We rallied, spoke at council meetings, and used talk radio stations and news reporters to bring attention to what was happening. We had a food bank here to get food for the many residents who had to choose between food and rent. Eventually, we did get a bill written that helped us with a cap on our rent. Seniors at RLP will be protected for now. This has been a long, hard fight.

I decided to move closer to my family in Denver. It made sense to build a “Granny flat” or ADU for me to live in rather than having an insecure future in a mobile home park. Many residents do not have such an option. My home will be completed by the end of June, and I will be in a secure home. Again, I thank your staff and the Fullerton Observer for your help and concern.

I was honored by the State Assembly as the Woman of the Year for leading this fight. I will miss my Fullerton/ Anaheim neighbors. Starting over at 72 should not have to happen. We must all protect our parents and grandparents living in mobile homes from these predatory investors.