One resident of the 1955 complex said 'It’s not about comfort. It’s about basic quality of life.'
The sweltering heat hits Pacoima resident Clara Osorio hard each summer, and without an air conditioning unit, her apartment at the San Fernando Gardens complex offers little reprieve.
Osorio, a single mother who lives with her two children and two grandchildren, said the intense heat “is very difficult, and it’s gotten worse in the 14 years I’ve been at this place.”
Osorio’s story is common among the 1,479 residents who live at San Fernando Gardens, a low-income housing complex in Pacoima, where summer temperatures can climb into triple digits. But $3.6 million of new community project funding, secured by Rep. Tony Cárdenas, D-Panorama City, means Osorio and her neighbors will get some relief from the blazing summer heat — in the form of 448 energy-efficient AC units and new, environmentally-friendly roof structures.
Congressman Tony Cárdenas announces $3,573,240 in Community Project Funding for the San Fernando Gardens apartment complex in Pacoima during a press conference on Friday, July 19, 2024, at San Fernando Gardens. The funding will bring 448 energy-efficient AC units to help provide relief for the 1,479 residents. The money will fund the installation of energy-efficient air conditioning units and cool roofs and bring 448 energy-efficient AC units to help relieve the 1,479 residents from heat. The housing project was built in 1955 without modern apartment cooling systems. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The San Fernando Gardens apartment complex in Pacoima. Congressman Tony Cárdenas announced $3,573,240 in Community Project Funding for San Fernando Gardens during a press conference on Friday, July 19, 2024, at San Fernando Gardens. The funding will bring 448 energy-efficient AC units to help provide relief for the 1,479 residents. The money will fund the installation of energy-efficient air conditioning units and cool roofs and bring 448 energy-efficient AC units to help relieve the 1,479 residents from heat. The housing project was built in 1955 without modern apartment cooling systems. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Assemblymember Luz Rivas speaks after Congressman Tony Cárdenas announced $3,573,240 in Community Project Funding for the San Fernando Gardens apartment complex in Pacoima during a press conference on Friday, July 19, 2024, at San Fernando Gardens. The funding will bring 448 energy-efficient AC units to help provide relief for the 1,479 residents. The money will fund the installation of energy-efficient air conditioning units and cool roofs and bring 448 energy-efficient AC units to help relieve the 1,479 residents from heat. The housing project was built in 1955 without modern apartment cooling systems. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The San Fernando Gardens apartment complex in Pacoima. Congressman Tony Cárdenas announced $3,573,240 in Community Project Funding for San Fernando Gardens during a press conference on Friday, July 19, 2024, at San Fernando Gardens. The funding will bring 448 energy-efficient AC units to help provide relief for the 1,479 residents. The money will fund the installation of energy-efficient air conditioning units and cool roofs and bring 448 energy-efficient AC units to help relieve the 1,479 residents from heat. The housing project was built in 1955 without modern apartment cooling systems. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Congressman Tony Cárdenas signs a symbolic check for $3,573,240 in Community Project Funding for the San Fernando Gardens apartment complex in Pacoima during a press conference on Friday, July 19, 2024, at San Fernando Gardens. The funding will bring 448 energy-efficient AC units to help provide relief for the 1,479 residents. The money will fund the installation of energy-efficient air conditioning units and cool roofs and bring 448 energy-efficient AC units to help relieve the 1,479 residents from heat. The housing project was built in 1955 without modern apartment cooling systems. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
“People deserve to live in dignity and deserve the respect and appreciation of all of us who send our tax dollars to Washington,” Cárdenas said.
Cárdenas announced the funding on Friday, July 19, which will support San Fernando Gardens complex residents, about 20 percent of whom are infants or seniors.
Built in 1955, the San Fernando Gardens complex was not constructed to withstand record-breaking heat waves caused by climate change and the ongoing strain on the grid. Local lawmakers said the air conditioning and roofing installations, which have already started and will be complete by early 2025, are a step to change that.
Assemblymember Luz Rivas, D-San Fernando Valley, who grew up a few-minute drive down the street from San Fernando Gardens, said, “Our most vulnerable communities are at risk of heat-related health issues,” adding, “This funding goes to our community.”
San Fernando Gardens resident Martin Pinera said he is “happy for the project,” but wishes it would have come sooner.
“They need to do it faster,” Pinera said. “It’s already July, and opening the window just isn’t enough for my grandson or me.”
Mauda Ruiz, a San Fernando Gardens resident of 12 years, said “living in public housing has its challenges, especially in the summer.”
“This project is a very important turn in all of our lives,” Ruiz said. “It’s not about comfort. It’s about basic quality of life.”
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