The U.S. attorney's office has asked the judge to shut down the 40-acre park, which sits on the Torres Martinez reservation, saying it poses unacceptable safety risks to the 6,000 farm workers living there. Past inspections have turned up water quality violations, sewage beneath trailers, faulty electrical systems and trailers packed too closely together.
Larson has so far refused to close it for fear of making thousands homeless. He appointed Pierre-Richard Prosper, a former U.S. ambassador who investigated war crimes in Rwanda, and Jack Shine, president and chief executive of First Financial Group, as special masters to investigate conditions at the park. He made Adams provisional receiver. All three men will be paid a fee that the judge will later determine.
Adams, a Georgetown University graduate, has been appointed receiver by 15 judges in five counties for 21 properties over the last decade. At one job in Norco, he and his crew hauled off 1,100 tons of junk.
For Duroville, he has secured a $150,000 line of credit from a consortium of banks to finance repairs, with park owner Harvey Duro responsible for repaying whatever Adams spends. Adams said Duro, a member of the Torres Martinez tribe, has adopted a low profile but is cooperating.
In recent days, the park has been bustling. Trucks have drained sewage ponds and collected piles of garbage. Fencing has gone up for dog kennels. The new security force is taking shape.
Electrician Joe Ayon visited each mobile home to see what needed fixing.
Inside a trailer owned by Angela Lemos, he found only one outlet working, with numerous extension cords feeding off it. The cords were running under her carpet and up the walls.
"This represents a serious fire hazard," Ayon said.
Lemos, 42, cradled her 4-month-old, Jimmy, as the men combed her trailer for more hazards. Three cages of doves were stacked up outside. She said she keeps them for their gentle cooing.
"I'm happy that they are cleaning the park," Lemos said. "But I am worried about the electrical problems."
Dangling wires hung in the back of 31-year-old Alisia Ortiz's closet, her clothes pressed right up against them.
She was more concerned about the park closing.
"A lot of people are worried," she said. "In my mind they won't shut it down because there are so many people here. I hope not."
