On Wednesday evening the Arcata City Council approved of a redrafted mobile home park rent stabilization ordinance that can be adopted at the next meeting if no further amendments are requested.
The introduction of the ordinance passed with a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Michael Winkler dissenting.
The original rent stabilization ordinance was introduced in April to regulate mobile home rental prices but due to some concerns the council had an outside attorney, who has “extensive experience” in the field, take a look at the ordinance to make it more legally defensible, Community Development Director David Loya said.
He said this ordinance is “much more complicated” and puts more burden on the renters than the original ordinance.
“There are much more processes in this that weren’t included in the original ordinance,” Loya said.
He added that much of the outside lawyer’s input was included in this ordinance.
“He had used Sonoma city’s ordinance as a base,” Loya said.
This recent draft of the ordinance also shifted how appeals can be made by the park owner and renters to the city as well as other “minor amendments,” he said.
So many people packed into the council chamber that most people sat in chairs in the foyer. During the public comment period a lot of residents of Lazy J Ranch, a mobile home park in Arcata, came forward to talk about how they need this ordinance because they can’t afford higher rent. Representatives of the group that owns the park, Sun Communities, also came forward against the ordinance.
Sun Communities regional vice president Dennis Dollar during his comment asked for time to work with renters on long-term leases.
“We have successfully implemented long-term leases and rent subsidy programs at out other properties; it works,” he said.
Mayor Susan Ornelas said long-term leases that are agreeable to renters is still an option.
“If you can work that out that would be great,” she said.
Lazy J resident Paul Johnson spoke in support of the ordinance.
“I just want to encourage you as well to pass the ordinance,” he said.
Sun Communities attorney Bill Hart spoke in support of the affordability study the city conducted during the ordinance drafting ordinance.
“It is statistically sound, it’s thorough and it covers every option,” he said.
“If we did that study over again the conclusion would be different,” Councilman Paul Pitino later said.