Mark Harris looks out on a desolate street in Isleton. Its hard to find a California city in as much trouble as the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta town 817 residents, $950,000 in the hole and trying like crazy to stave off bankruptcy. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Isleton Mayor Gene Resler, also a real estate agent, arrives to post another “For Rent” sign along mostly deserted Main street . (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Isletons historic, two-block Main Street burned to the ground in 1926 but was rebuilt soon after. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Isleton resident Antonio Sanchez makes his way down a street in the town, located on a big bend in the Sacramento River. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
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Tony Olan, owner of Victoria’s Tea & Treasures in Isleton, hangs a piece in his window. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Bill Cox, owner of the Delta Daze Inn in Isleton, looks out over a deserted Main Street. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
A new home stands forlorn. There were supposed to be about 80 houses in the first phase of the development and ultimately more than 300 units, but only 18 have been built. A dispute over water infrastructure halted construction, and then the housing market crashed. Today the houses are empty (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
Weeds fill a development on the northeast side of Isleton. All 18 homes are empty. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)
