READERS SHAMED HOUSING AUTHORITY INTO SEC. 8 REVERSAL.

Byline: MARIEL GARZA

Sometimes, you can fight City Hall.

That's the first lesson I learned from Karla Gomez's situation. Last week, officials at the Housing Authority of the city of Los Angeles (not really a city agency despite the name, but close enough) reversed their decision to cut the young woman from the Section 8 housing assistance program. She got her new voucher on July 1.

Housing officials may never admit it, but it's likely the reinstatement of Gomez had something to do with the harassment they received by Daily News readers after Gomez's story appeared two weeks ago. Spokesman Hugo Garcia tersely confirmed the reversal, but he didn't offer any reason why.

To recap, Gomez is a single working mother who was dumped from the housing assistance program in June after she accidentally broke the rules during an emergency relocation in the middle of the winter storms. She was given bad information from her housing caseworker and didn't get calls returned. For this, she was punished not with a warning, but with a complete removal from the program, which would have led to eviction.

The story of her plight prompted an astonishing response from outraged readers. They called the Housing Authority, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the offices of Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein. Many offered encouraging words. A local developer of low-income housing even offered to help Gomez get an interview for a spot in one of his buildings.

One reader, Ken Marks, e-mailed me repeatedly with updates on who he called and what they said. He said he didn't do it to get any recognition but because he was moved by the story.

``I was just outraged by this series of events and sometimes one has to speak up,'' he wrote.

Other readers just called to share tales of their run-ins with officials from the Housing Authority.

Adriana Martinez from North Hollywood called to complain about how she had called the Housing Authority repeatedly about her Section 8 neighbor who was breaking the rules, but never got any one interested.

Another reader in the Mid-Wilshire area, Geneva Johnson, called to tell me that she was a Section 8 landlord and had dealt with the same Housing Authority caseworker as Gomez and found her to be rude, flippant and prone to mistakes.

``You can quote me,'' she said.

These are some of the people who I believe made a difference in Gomez's case. And that's the second lesson from this story: People are good.

There's a third thing, and it's probably the most important lesson. Pardon the cliche, but the squeaky wheel really does get the oil, or the grease or chardonnay or whatever it needs. Those who get justice usually have to make a lot of noise. It's not necessarily right, but that's the way it is.

It's unfortunate that it takes a public shaming for a governmental agency to work for the people, rather than against them.

What about all those other people who aren't squeaky, who were taught to be respectful of public servants and not to question authority?

For every one case like Gomez's, there are probably 1,000 cases in which someone rolled over who didn't feel they had the time or resources - or even the right - to fight City Hall.

Mariel Garza

mariel.garza(at)dailynews.com