On Saturday, October 25, 2025, tenants at Elevate Eagle Mobile Home Community in Idaho launched Riviera Estates Tenants’ Union. The union represents 33 of 38 occupied lots united against San Diego-based corporate landlord, Elevate Commercial, and its owner, Demetre Booker Jr. It is a historic achievement in Idaho’s tenant movement as it is the first fighting, supermajority tenants union in the state’s history, and the first successful organizing effort by the Treasure Valley Tenants Union. After months of unsuccessfully demanding Demetre Booker Jr. meet with the tenants at the bargaining table to negotiate with the union, the Riviera Estates Tenants Union decided to launch a campaign to put the pressure on their landlord. Tenant Councils of San Diego joined them.
Photo of Riviera Estates Tenant Union Launch, Source: RETU Instagram
Although they are based in San Diego, Elevate Commercial owns a portfolio of mobile home communities that include at least 2,928 units across the country, mostly concentrated in the Midwest. Elevate Commercial owns Idle Wheels MHC in Ontario, Oregon, and Country Chalet MHC in Ketchum, Idaho. Demetre has repeatedly bragged about being a “socially responsible” landlord and contributor to his community in San Diego through groups like the Chollas Creek Community Planning Group. Yet Elevate Commercial raised Elevate Eagle tenants’ rent by 40% after purchasing the mobile home community. Demetre threatened tenants with eviction and displacement. He charged one resident, Suzanne, an unexplained $3,900.00 landscaping fee until the union launched a pressure campaign to force him to rescind the fee. He is disrupting the environment at the mobile home park by cutting down trees, and his development has cut off tenants’ access to resources like power and water without compensation.
TCSD and allied labor union members from LSAN protest at Elevate Commercial’s reported corporate office.
On May 22, 2026, Tenant Councils of San Diego and allied union members in Labor Solidarity Action Network decided to expose Elevate Commercial at home by reading testimonies of tenants harmed by Elevate Commercial outside of what their website advertises as their corporate headquarters. Elevate Commercial’s owner wasn’t there, but we called him from the office and he colorfully cursed at us, consistent with how he responded to Riviera Estates Tenants’ Union members who called him.
Image of Flyer Shaming Elevate Commercial Leadership
At the same time, Riviera Estates Tenants’ Union and Treasure Valley Tenants Union organized a phone zap to shame Elevate Commercial’s leadership, as well as a canvassing campaign to obtain the surrounding community’s support for their petition.
Riviera Estates Tenants’ Union at City Hall, Source: RETU Instagram
On Monday, June 1, 2026, Riviera Estates Tenants’ Union members spoke against a proposed Wellsprings Subdivision: a development adjacent to the Elevate Eagle mobile home community that could bring flooding, habitat loss, and risk of displacement to their community. In response to their testimony, Eagle City Hall’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted not to approve the subdivision at that meeting.
As multistate corporations and landlords buy up homes across the United States to exploit for profit, tenants must organize across state lines to make sure that landlords can’t avoid responsibility by targeting tenants outside of their own communities. Numerous landlords live in luxury in San Diego while wreaking havoc on people’s lives across the United States. These landlords must confront and eliminate the harm they are doing to our fellow tenants!
As they currently stand, Riviera Estates Tenants’ Union’s demands include:
- Rent reduction
- Quality and timely maintenance
- Cancellation of back rent
- Transparent rent and fee calculations
- A complete stop to retaliation and intimidation
- A collectively bargained lease
- A written commitment to sell the park to the tenants as a whole, in order to create a Resident Owned Community (ROC)
Demetre, go to the bargaining table!
San Diego residents, if you want to support Riviera Estates Tenant Union, you can do so by contributing to their defense funds here: https://www.rivieraestatesunion.com/support-us
