40 Mexicans Removed From Old Building : Santa Ana Officials Condemn 4-Story Structure, Allege Code Violations

About 40 Mexican nationals living in a self-styled cooperative were evacuated from a dilapidated, four-room building in Santa Ana on Thursday by Fire Department officials who condemned the structure, alleging it violated health and fire codes.

The building at 802 West 10th St. is owned by Santa Ana attorney David Vest, who was out of town on vacation, said Tim Graber, a Fire Department spokesman at the scene of the evacuation.

He said the case would be referred to the city attorney’s office for further investigation.

The American Red Cross initially opened Willard Intermediate School at 1342 Ross St. to allow the residents, who included a 5-month-old child, to spend the night. But Red Cross official Harry Huggins said the 33 people who showed up at the school were later transferred to the Good Samaritan Seventh-day Adventist Church at 2101 W. Edinger Ave.

“They will be allowed to stay there, at least tonight,” Huggins said.

Graber said health and fire inspectors found the hazardous violations at the home after they were reported by the Santa Ana police serving a warrant at the location earlier this week. Inspectors found exposed electrical wires and an unvented stove in violation of fire codes, Graber said.

Inspectors also found generally dirty conditions. All 40 residents were sharing the only bathroom in the building.

“This place is not suited for all these people,” Graber said.

Eighteen old cots and mattresses and two television sets were strewn in a large room in the middle of the building, which has a single entrance. There was also bedding in two other rooms. Cracks in two corner walls exposed the afternoon sunlight.

A Mexican family of seven, whose members are legal United States residents, was living in a three-bedroom apartment connected to the main building. They were also ordered to leave their home because the apartment’s electrical system is connected to the condemned portion of the building, placing them in danger, Graber said.

The family is related to the building’s manager, Maria Ortiz, who lives next door. Ortiz refused to discuss the evacuation. Ortiz, looking distraught and tearful, opened her back door once but quickly shut it again without uttering a word when confronted by a reporter.

Ortiz’s family, which includes her mother, two sisters and four other relatives, said Ortiz merely collected the rent for the owner.

“We didn’t know anything about that place. My sister just collected the rent and gave it to the owner. We minded our own business and didn’t pay attention to how many people were living there, or what they were doing,” said Ortiz’s sister, Arcelia Esparza.

Returned From Work

Rogelio Majera, 22, came home from work shortly after 3 p.m. and found the evacuation in progress. He and four other residents of the building congregated at a corner vacant lot “thinking of what to do.”

“I just came home from work, and I don’t know what this is about,” Majera said, adding that all the residents were Mexican nationals who had formed a self-style cooperative to help each other.

Majera, who said he had lived in the building for nine months, said his portion of the monthly rent was $25 but that all the residents shared in providing food and other necessities.

“We’re all very poor. That’s the reason we got together to help each other,” he said.

A few of the residents, who speak little or no English, thought they would be allowed to return to their home in a day or two. When they finally understood that the building had been condemned and they could not return, some asked for permission to gather small suitcases or grocery bags carrying their few belongings.

Jesus Chavez, who said he arrived from Mexico two weeks ago, said he had not yet worked and had not contributed to the rent. Sporting a baseball cap with a U.S. Border Patrol insignia, Chavez gathered two grocery bags and walked out into the street.

“I don’t know where I will go, or what I will do next,” Chavez said. “Whoever worked helped the others here. At least I was among paisanos (countrymen).”