Raffle Winner Edges Closer to Getting Home

A divorced mother who won a $200,000 house in a South Gate city raffle -- then found herself in a political ruckus when protesters called it a gift of public funds -- appeared on track Thursday to getting her dream home.

South Gate officials said they have decided that Maria De Los Angeles Fitz should get the home, which is still under construction but nearly complete, as long as state auditors conclude that the giveaway is legal.

The Jan. 6 raffle, which drew thousands of ticket buyers, was touted by the then-council majority as a way to shed light on the nation’s shortage of affordable housing. But critics charged that the council members were trying to buy votes and that the giveaway was an illegal gift of public money.

Weeks after the raffle, Mayor Xochilt Ruvalcaba, Vice Mayor Raul Moriel, Councilwoman Maria Benavides and Treasurer Albert Robles were voted out of office.

The new City Council majority agreed with critics of the raffle, and questioned whether Fitz and her 13-year-old daughter should get the house.

But on Thursday, new Mayor Hector De La Torre said that Fitz “participated in good faith, and the city is in the process of conveying the raffle house to her.” She could assume ownership in 30 to 60 days, he said, if the state finds that the raffle was legal.

“You can imagine -- she’s pretty antsy,” De La Torre said.

The city attorney, Raul Salinas, said state auditors are expected to report this month on whether the house is an illegal gift of public money. De La Torre said he remains skeptical about the raffle’s legality.

“It’s not a reflection of [Fitz]; it’s a reflection of the previous council majority,” De La Torre said. “Under them, there had not been any effort to do any systematic housing improvement or home ownership program, and then they did this thing out of the blue in one month.... There’s better uses for housing dollars than something that benefits just one person.”