Desert slum gets a 'new sheriff'

"We need to get another tow truck in here," Adams declared.

A stray dog trotted past; a pat on its back producing a cloud of dust.

Adams walked over to the defunct community center, arguably the nicest building in the park and a rare shady spot.

"I'd like to open this up again, maybe for kids," he said. "There is no place for kids to play and there are tons of kids here. Maybe make it into a library or something."

He made a mental note to call a local nun well acquainted with such projects.

In front of Silvia's Market he mused about staging a carnival to draw customers to the few local stores. "Like they have in Santa Monica," he said, as a few sullen men eyed him from outside the self-service laundry. "This is the shopping district of Duroville."

Gloria Posar, 46, walked past in a ragged shirt and fraying sandals.

"I like having these people here because the situation has gotten so bad over the last few years," she said quietly, before scurrying off.

Adams has learned a lot of things in a few short weeks. One is that Duroville is more than an island of poverty.

"This is a real community here," he said. "There is a list of people waiting to get in despite all the trouble because it's the cheapest place to live at just $275 a month."

And there are many Durovilles out there. Up and down the eastern Coachella Valley, the scarcity of affordable housing has filled up dozens of trailer parks with similar or even worse conditions. The tenants are nearly all farm workers.

"The more I see of Duroville the more I realize it's just one of the problems out there. This is not an isolated case," Adams said.

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david.kelly@latimes.com