Temporary Homes for Permanent People

You can find them tucked up against the curb of almost any side street along the main drags of town. If you didn't know any better, you'd think San Pedro was a fabled RV graveyard where these elephants of the road went to die. These RVs aren't dead yet, though. They are just too old and worn out for the open road, and now provide temporary housing for people with few other options.

Yes, there are some that also function as mobile retail outlets selling drugs or prostitutes, but most are simply home sweet home for people like Greg Johnson. Johnson has been touring the South Bay in his weary motor home since 1998, and most of that time has been spent in San Pedro. Why does he prefer Pedro? "I don't get bugged by the cops," he says. He is currently hanging around town because he has business at the Department of Motor Vehicles, and he likes to use the San Pedro office.

Johnson came from Waimanalo, Hawaii to California, and still has two brothers there. Coming to the mainland was the beginning of his troubles. "I am up to my neck in problems," he said, sitting in his RV, classical music playing quietly in the background. He owned a gardening and landscaping business in the Pomona area before he fell in with the wrong person--his wife. They were married in 1981 and are still legally married, though they have been separated since 1985. Due to heart problems, he can no longer work and receives disability payments. He has also been suffering from bouts of anger lately. "I need to get counseling for that," he admitted.

Despite his problems, Johnson hopes to get back on his feet. He intends to become a veterinarian. "I want to move to Maui and work with horses on the ranches there." Johnson figures that a view of the green slopes of Haleakala must be a lot better than breathing in the exhaust from Pacific Avenue. For now, though, he has to settle for an old RV--temporary housing for a man with permanent dreams.