Empty RV trailers that attracted squatters in L.A. County now showing up in Riverside County

Yahoo

18-04-2025

Several dozen empty trailers that drew squatters and sparked a legal battle in Los Angeles County are now creating a major headache for neighbors and officials in Riverside County.
The roughly 70 trailers being stored in a vacant lot in the city of Wildomar were removed earlier this year from another empty vacant lot in the City of Industry while Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies supervised the eviction. The trailers attracted squatters who converted the lot into a makeshift homeless encampment.
While the Black Series trailers are no longer a problem for City of Industry and Los Angeles County authorities, Wildomar officials say the trailers are now a nuisance for them. Wildomar authorities say the owner of the trailers did not obtain the necessary city approvals to place them on an empty lot that sits near several homes.
The city of Wildomar is in the process of obtaining a warrant to remove the trailers after trying to work with the owner, Wildomar Mayor Ashlee DePhillippo said in a statement. The trailers violate the city's zoning and fire code, she said, adding that the matter is an ongoing code enforcement case.
Read more: 'I'm going to resist': Protesters who seized state-owned homes five years ago prepare for eviction battle
Wildomar officials notified the trailer owner Tuesday that the trailers must be moved within 48 hours or the city would do it and charge the owner for the costs. DePhillippo said while the city put the trailer's owner on notice and is seeking a warrant, the trailers may not be removed before the end of the week.
"I want to be clear, the issuance of the warrant may not line up with a 48-hour notice, and we must wait for the proper warrant to be in place before we can enter the property," she said.
On Tuesday, two letters were posted on a chain link fence surrounding the trailers in the 20700 block of Palomar Street, according to neighbors.
The letters were addressed to Hongwei Qiu and Zihan Feng, according to copies of the letters shared online. Qiu, who owns Upland-based Black Series RVs, did not respond to requests for comment about the trailers after the city issued its order for removal.
The trailers parked in disrepair on the Wildomar property are listed on the Black Series website from $44,000 to $50,000 each.
In an interview with CBS News, Qiu apologized to residents and the city.
He said that he wasn't aware that the trailers were violating the city's code and understands residents are worried that the empty trailers might attract squatters.
"We are sorry ... for the feeling, because they read the news. Of course they are concerned that the same safety issue may happen to their neighborhood," he said.
Read more: L.A. County's first safe parking for homeless people living in RVs opens in Crenshaw
Wildomar resident Jessica Hume began to notice the Black Series trailers being brought to the property at the end of 2024. The trailers from the City of Industry may have begun arriving to Wildomar near the start of 2025.
Hume confronted a man who was dropping off a trailer. She said he handed her his phone and Qiu tried to explain that he was not aware of the city's zoning codes. His recent apology to the community feels hollow, she said.
"He apologized and then brought in more trailers," she said. "That's manipulation."
On Thursday, Hume watched as a person attempted to rip down a chain link fence and try to access the trailers.
She told them not to do that because it would be illegal.
"I'm a little Irish woman and I feel like I'm out there policing the property," Hume said.
Wildomar Code Enforcement Manager Raul Berroteran updated the city council on April 9 that the property owner where the trailers are located is attempting to evict Qiu.
Just two days before the meeting, Berroteran said he witnessed a Black Series employee park another trailer on the property. He notified a company representative about the zoning violations and the company then followed up to ask for an extension on the timeline to remove the trailers.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.