Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is turning up the heat on Bell city leaders, urging them to hit pause on plans that could lead to the closure and sale of two city-owned mobile home parks and potentially uproot hundreds of families. The parks, Bell Mobile and Florence Village, sit at the center of a growing fight between officials who describe the move as long-term redevelopment and residents who say it threatens one of the last truly affordable paths to homeownership in Southeast L.A. The controversy burst into public view in December, when hundreds of residents packed a City Council meeting demanding answers.
Hahn's letter to the mayor
In a letter to Bell Mayor Ali Saleh, Hahn called mobile home parks "the last bastion of affordable housing" and pressed the city to slow down and work with residents to prevent displacement, according to CBS Los Angeles. Her intervention pulls the county firmly into what had been a local land-use battle and highlights county concerns over preserving low-cost homeownership in the area.
City's relocation process and appraisals
Bell officials say they are updating a 2020 impact report and putting together a closure and relocation program that will spell out how residents are supposed to be moved. According to the city's relocation website, the plan calls for household interviews, inspections, and appraisals. Residents are told they will meet with relocation specialists, and that homeowners may receive licensed appraisals to determine fair market value, with formal relocation offers to follow once the planning work is finished, per the Bell Relocation Plan.
Residents pushed back at the council
Residents have not been shy about their anger. At the December council meeting, hundreds showed up to demand concrete timelines, clear information about moving assistance, and some assurance that they will have viable housing options if the parks close. One longtime resident told ABC7 the announcement came as a shock and left families worrying about being forced out of the neighborhood right as the holidays approached.
How many households are affected, and the legal steps
Estimates vary, but reporting by LA Public Press places the combined population of the two city-owned parks in the mid-hundreds. Under state law, a city generally must have an approved relocation plan in place before it can vote to sell an occupied mobile home park. Bell officials say they are updating the existing impact report before taking any proposal to the council, according to LA Public Press. The city's relocation hub also cautions residents not to move out or sign new occupancy agreements until they receive formal eligibility notices, warning that doing either could affect their relocation benefits under the draft program, per the Bell Relocation Plan.
What's next
For now, city leaders stress that the parks have not been sold and say they intend to work with affected households while the planning process plays out. At the same time, the city has warned that residents who refuse to participate in interviews could end up shrinking other households' eligibility for benefits, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. Hahn's letter adds county pressure as the City Council prepares to weigh the updated impact report, and tenants and advocates are pushing for any council decision to lock in enforceable protections for longtime homeowners.
