I have written a lot about the mobile home park where I live. I love this funky little community. I have it on the brain these days for a number of reasons. There is the great community participation we had the last two Sundays towards our community garden.This doctored illustration (click for big) originated from the second newsletter I completed in the last several weeks. It was to get support for some community art projects I want to suggest. I decided I would underscore to the tenants just how creative a little place we are by creating a montage of just a few of the artistic, aesthetic touches around the park.
My spot is the upper left. Check out the lower right where a Tango teacher has transformed her home one glass bead at a time. It is a virtual grotto. I photoshopped some plantings in the center as I didn't want to use the park's name which was on the sign. That graphic with the ladder relates to the sign needing a possible fix.
The only dark cloud is my trepidation with the city council's mobile park study. I keep being told by my neighbors and the 'cityspeak' that this is all about assuring mobile home park residents all over the city that they will be protected from urban development. Supposedly as one of the only bastions for low income housing in an overpriced California coastal city, we are a vital statistic to assure the city funding from the state and federal transportation departments. I have oversimplified this, but the idea is what I want to convey.
Today I am reviewing a year's worth of information beginning with the letter I wrote the city council members and the mayor, voicing my displeasure with the selection of a consultant for the mobile home park study as he owns 11 mobile home parks in other locations. My letter, along with all the other board members of our park's resident association, spoke about the conflict of interest and how this consultant couldn't speak as an advocate for us. No responses from any of them.
I also have read and re-read the questionnaires sent to us all and the sorry compilation of findings. I then watched the 4.5 hr city council 'workshop' from February (a year after we wrote) and heard this consultant obfuscate for an hour with bold preferences towards owners and the city development rather than for residents. Gah. . .
Having spent hours at this, I finally stopped for a bite and to regroup. I frankly had forgotten to post today. So, rather than use what I'd prepared I thought I might just decompress by letting you all (all 4-6 of you) know what is up. Oh yes, forgot to say. Tomorrow night is the third and final motor home study workshop at city hall and that is why I am boning up on this theme. Did you notice my reluctance to capitalize anything in this post? It was an act of questioning authority.
2 comments:
Love the creativity of your community. Was that a banana tree? I like the idea of the glass mosaic house. Back in my days of doing tile mosaic, I used to check out some amazing books with photos of outdoor mosaic work. There were several houses entirely covered in tile and broken dishware.
Thank you, chile.
That is exactly how Mila's home is. It is covered inside and out. It is a fantasy land.
I have used broken mirrors to cover my back fence.
And, yes Banana Jim grows banana trees around his tiny little trailer.
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