POSTED: 01/06/15, 7:27 PM PST | UPDATED: 1 WEEK, 3 DAYS AGO 0 COMMENTS PICO RIVERA >> City officials met with representatives of the owner of a red-tagged apartment building Monday, but there are no clear answers as to when or if the building will ever be inhabitable again for the 245 tenants who were left homeless beginning New Year’s Eve. Initially, on Dec. 30, when a partial balcony collapse caused structural damage to one of three buildings of the Whittier Manor apartment complex at 8615 Whittier Blvd., a handful of tenants were evacuated. However, after city and fire officials, as well as architects and structural engineers representing owners Cheung Siu W. and Li Hande, inspected the entire complex, the rest of the apartments were red-tagged. Pico Rivera City Manager Rene Bobadilla also said that the recent rain storms may have played a major role in exposing many of the problems at the facility. “There were structural deficiencies, such as rotted beams, which deemed the apartment complex unsafe,” Bobadilla said. But the lawyer for the building’s owner said the issues could be fixed quickly. “The city appears to be grossly overreacting to a fairly minor problem that can be easily fixed,” said Mason Yost, attorney for the owners, in an email. “Instead of letting my client and his managers fix the problem, the city condemned the building. The tenants were never in any danger but the city is choosing to throw them out onto the street.” But for the families that lived in the apartments, they now have to move forward and find a new place to live. “We were put up in a hotel for two days, which was paid for by Omar, the apartment manager,” said tenant Marisol Alavarez, 18, who has lived at Whittier Manor for more than two years with her mother and younger siblings. Her family and the other families and individuals who took refuge at the Pico Park Community Center where the city and Red Cross provided shelter were expected to look elsewhere, as the temporary relief facility was closed Tuesday. Advertisement “The Red Cross provided cots, blankets, meals, recovery and relocation information to the 19 families and individuals seeking assistance in the shelter,” according to a press release from the organization. “The children of the families in the shelter were also assisted and entertained by the Church of the Brethren, Children’s Disaster Services. They also received toys that were donated by Disney, one of the Red Cross’ partners.” Bobadilla commended the Red Cross and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department for providing for the displaced tenants. “Our executive staff and part-time employees really stepped up, and did a great job, especially considering it happened during the holidays,” he explained. He also highlighted the work by Walmart, who is providing their employees who were displaced with rental assistance, as well as the Whole Child and Whittier First Day for their support. “We are working with the county to help with assistance pertaining to find other housing for those affected by this situation,” Bobadilla said. A GoFundMe account has been established for the families, which is looking to raise $5,000. “While some families have benefited from Calworks, and some temporary homeless programs from the (Department of Public Social Services) in Los Angeles, other families have not been able to receive help,” said fundraiser creator Andres Baquerizo. “We hope to use the funds to help families with temporary places to stay, and if possible move into new locations.” So far, $50 has been raised, which Baquerizo credits to little or no publicity about the GoFundMe account. City officials, in the meantime, said they had been unaware of any structural problems or complaints about the complex. Bobadilla said the city has not yet looked to see if the property has violated any city codes. “We expect all properties to be maintained and uphold all city codes,” he said of the 52-year-old apartment buildings. ABOUT THE AUTHOR DAY
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 02:39:05 +0000
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