NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — Some people in National City have sought legal representation after they were told to move out despite an emergency San Diego County moratorium that puts storm-related evictions on hold for 60 days.
"They want me to move out, they want me to give them the key, ASAP and I don't think it's fair," Cecilia Villegas said, who is one of the impacted residents.
The Park Villas, just off Highland Avenue, offered two months in a hotel. The owners then said her family could reapply for the unit once repairs were complete.
Alysson Snow with the University of San Diego's Housing Rights Legal Clinic said there's a reason they didn't put the offer in writing.
"Telling them they had two months without the guarantee of coming back wasn't right, and I think they knew it wasn't right and that's why they didn't put it in writing," Snow said.
Snow also said management has the obligation to do the repairs in a timely and diligent manner
"This is their chance to do the right thing," she said.
Those impacted by the storm huddled under more rain Thursday morning, alongside National City City Council Member Jose Rodriguez.
"Residents reached out, saying they were desperate and didn't know what was going on. There are tenants facing eviction, on top of losing all of their belongings," he said.
The goal was to pay February rent and be ensured their housing is secure at the same price. Instead, apartment management called police.
Management told CBS 8 they are following state guidelines, because this complex falls under Section Eight.
Councilmember Rodriguez said he wants to make sure they don't face a rent hike over the January 22 storm.
"We want to make sure that this rent is respected for them, and it doesn't go up because of this natural disaster that occurred last week," he said.
A moratorium was signed by county leaders on Tuesday, saying there could be no storm related evictions for 60 days.
"I want to keep fighting, for myself, and for my kids," Villegas said.
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