Dozens of San Diego, Bonita and Chula Vista tenants are upset and demanding changes to what they call horrible living conditions. The renters blame their landlord for health problems stemming from bugs, leaks and mold inside their homes.
Broken appliances, holes in the walls and leaky pipes are just a few of the problems David Olachea and his children face.
"The oven has never worked, just the top part," he said. Talking of one persistent leak, he told NBC 7 Thursday, "I put a towl on and then rinse it and put it back on."
He and other tenants of a Chula Vista apartment complex said Thursday they're literally getting sick from bugs and mold.
And if that isn't bad enough, what goes down the toilet sometimes ends up in the shower.
"It literally comes out of the bathtub," said Paola Martinez-Montes with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), a nonprofit representing renters like Olachea who live at properties in Chula Vista, Bonita and San Diego.
"I don't know how this landlord sleeps at night with people living like this," said Martinez-Montes, who has visited several of the homes.
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Renters said they've reported the problems but argue the landlord, Elisa Flores, refuses to do anything.
So last week, tenants and ACCE members marched to Flores' home last week, shouting, "What do we want? Tenants’ rights! When do we want them? Now!"
They walked to Flores' front door with a list of demands, including maintaining properties, stopping illegal evictions and treating tenants with respect.
NBC 7 reached out to the landlord by phone. She said she was following all the rules and then asked for the names of the tenants making the claims. Another attempt to reach her ended with her hanging up.
Since their march, people have seen improvements.
"This landlord has attempted to clean up some of the exterior of the building but that’s just the beginning. We want more,” Martinez-Montes told NBC 7.
They are searching for more fixing and less bugs, mold and plumbing problems.
