Brown Grass and Green Pools

For the past few years, the Inland Empire in Riverside County has been one of the fastest growing counties in the state, home to a major housing boom. But now the Inland Empire is pretty much the poster child for the foreclosure crisis. In the newer developments, house after house sits vacant, either up for auction, for sale by a bank or going for what’s called a “short sale” which is when the owner owes more than the house is worth. SoCal Connected tracked down some surreal sights associated with the crisis for a segment called "Foreclosure Alley" — a company that specializes in removing whatever people leave behind in their foreclosed homes.  The process is called a “trashout” — a term the company came up with because it perfectly describes what happens.  Everything that’s left is dumped in a trailer and taken to the landfill. In the clip below, Arik Jensen and Gregory Fitch talk about the hardest part of their jobs. 

SoCal Connected on KCET

Then there’s the guy who started a business to spray-paint dead lawns.  That’s right.  He paints brown lawns green. Take a look: 

SoCal Connected on KCET

I lent him a hand — all in a day's work for a field producer!