El Monte : Relocation Postponed

The City Council for the fifth time in six months postponed a vote on the relocation of 29 residents from Redwood Trailer Park after residents complained that they were not offered enough relocation money.

After talks with the residents broke down, the owner’ attorney, Roger Yuen, insisted Tuesday that the council approve his final offer of $5,000, but residents, many speaking tearfully in Spanish and English, pleaded with council members to determine for themselves what a reasonable relocation expense would be.

The City Council delayed action for two weeks, asking city staff to determine whether the park’s owner had been providing all relevant communication to his tenants in Spanish, as he had promised.

The tenants testified that he had not done so.

The council has ordered the owner, Redwood Trailer Lodge Partnership, to correct housing code violations or to tear down the trailer park at 3024 Durfee Ave. He opted last year to demolish.

On June 17, Yuen told the tenants’ pro bono attorneys from Legal Services of Pasadena that he would pay $5,000 to each family. Legal Services, believing that a fair deal had been struck, pulled out of the negotiations Friday after residents rejected the amount.