Odd Case to Depict Worker Poverty

“Many Southland Workers Fall in Gap Between Income, Rents” [Sept. 19] bemoaned the fact that minimum-wage earners are unable to afford a $1,088-per-month “low-end” apartment in Los Angeles County.

Oddly enough, The Times chose to profile a worker who was able to find an acceptable apartment for $325 and who donates more than 40% of his gross income every month to relatives in Mexico.

If there are so many minimum-wage workers supporting families in this state, why couldn’t The Times find one?

More important, the rent information The Times relied on exclusively was gathered from investment-grade complexes of 100 units or more, an odd definition indeed for the housing market’s “low end.”

John Morehead

Santa Clarita

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What a sad commentary on the state of our nation. Have we all become so brainwashed by the myth of capitalism’s trickle-down rewards that we accept the sort of conditions that afflict what is clearly an ever-growing segment of the population?

Good, hard-working people such as Armando Mantilla, and the many millions just like him--continue to live every day just a step away from homelessness. It’s shameful.

Roger Bowers

Los Feliz

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I was feeling very sorry for Mantilla, who couldn’t “afford a standard two-bedroom apartment” because the minimum wage he earns won’t allow it.

And then, buried in one line on page C12 is the real explanation of why he can’t afford to eat or pay rent--he sends $575 of his $1,420 monthly paycheck to relatives in Mexico, “forcing” a local church to feed the Mantilla family.

Whoa! And just who is “forcing” him to send more than a third of what he makes to relatives in Mexico? He’s choosing poverty.

Mimi Merrill

Ridgecrest, Calif.

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Since when do our wages and our landlords’ rents have to subsidize the lives of people who live in other countries? Mantilla makes more than enough to enjoy a better apartment and feed his own family. If he wants to support family in Mexico, that’s his choice, but don’t blame our wages and rents.

Greg Parks

Northridge