[ SANTA CLARITA ] Opinionated mobile home park residents voiced their concerns with changes to the mobile home park municipal code at Tuesday’s city council meeting.
Municipal Code 6.02, originally implemented in 1990, serves to ensure residents are not overpaying rent and owners are not being underpaid.
Changes to the Manufactured Home Park Rent Adjustment Procedures would do away with the current system of internal governing to settle appeals made by residents concerning rent increases. If approved, decisions concerning appeals will be made by a subcontracted administrative hearing officer.
These appeal decisions are currently made by a five-person panel, comprised of two residents, two owners and an impartial fifth member, which would be replaced by the hearing officer.
Additionally, changes and clarifications were made to the language in the municipal code.
Hadassah Foster, Polynesian Mobile Home Park resident and one of the current panel members, said she does not necessarily oppose getting a hearing officer, but did have an issue with the language of the code.
“If decisions still don’t have to be made for 90 days, it’s what’s happening now and it’s not making anyone happy,” she said.
Kevin Eliason, a resident of Greenbrier Estates, said he spoke at a community meeting about his concern with the changes to the code.
“Nothing I said seems to have come to fruition,” Eliason said.
Doug Fraser, a mobile home park advocate, said having city staff select the hearing officer would be “suspicious.” He also said he did not think the current definition of a “resident” should be removed.
“There needs to be more dialogue,” Fraser said.
Councilman Bob Kellar said he thinks it would be a good idea to let the panel have input on who becomes the hearing officer.
Rudy Pavini, another mobile home resident, said it is difficult for seniors to pay for increased rents.
“I’m 82 years old, I can’t go get a job,” he said.
Greenbrier Home Owner’s Association President Bruce Velie said if the residents do not feel heard by the council, they will come back to address them next year with the same concerns.
Councilman Bill Miranda said he refuses to do anything that would not be beneficial to seniors and said it upset him that people had so many concerns.
“It sickens me to hear what I’ve heard tonight,” Miranda said. “Can we do whatever it takes to make sure our seniors are heard and protected? Sorry, if that means we start from scratch, then we do that.”
Councilwoman Laurene Weste said she wants to go to the state legislature about pass throughs for mobile home parks, which allow the owners to charge residents fees in addition to rent increases.
This code impacts 17 mobile home parks that collectively house about 2,000 Santa Clarita Valley residents.
Mobile home park residents received several notices by mail concerning the code updates and were invited to two meetings to voice opinions, though only about 60 people attended combined. City staff and council members have also had independent conversations with residents who reached out to them.
The ordinance concerning the municipal code will be read on June 13 and again on July 11.