Arcata helps mobile home owners
A heartfelt thanks goes out to the City Council of Arcata for all their hard work in drafting an ordinance to stabilize rents in the city’s mobile home parks. And especially to David Loya and his staff who have been working on this for over a year(!), beginning with the “Mobile Home Study” identifying the numbers of residents who paid more than 30 percent of income and those paying more than 50 percent of income for housing. (The study was completed last May 2016.)
Since mobile home parks are the last bastion of affordable housing in Arcata, the stabilization ordinance will not only help residents of mobile home parks but also help the city to comply with their own City of Arcata General Plan which states in Chapter 3.6 to “seek and support programs that address the housing needs of and prioritize housing for special groups such as seniors, disabled, farm workers, those in need of temporary shelter, single-parent families, and large families.”
Also, it will help to bring the city in compliance with California state law which mandates that cities build or maintain affordable housing for the same vulnerable groups mentioned above.
Thank you again to the City Council and David Loya for your continuing diligence in drafting an ordinance that will come as close as possible to satisfying the needs and wishes of most of us!
Nancy Pelletier
Resident of Lazy J Mobile Home Park
Arcata
Hooray for rent control
It is sad as well as despicable that Ms. Phelps, a newer resident to Humboldt County (obviously working in favor of the large out-of-area investment groups) who bought our locally owned Senior Mobile Home Park three years ago, seeks, armed with a black paint brush, to besmirch the name of a man like Paul Pitino, who has served the Arcata community at large.
Paul has served as mayor, holds a seat on the City Council, is known for his landscape/ gardening and with working with local artisans to beautify our city.
The list of many areas to which he dedicates his own time to all of us is endless. Need I remind Ms. Phelps that 90 percent of the residents in the Lazy J Ranch Senior Mobile Home Park, need affordable housing/rent stabilization to remain in our homes.
Proposition V was passed here in Humboldt County indicating it’s not just us.
To Paul Pitino I say thank you, thank you, and thank you again. And to the mayor, and all those who serve us on the Arcata City Council. To Jan Phelps I say shame on you!
Raven LeBaron
Arcata
About rent control
In response to Jan Phelps’ assertion (“rent control a bad idea,” Mad River Union, May 10) that Ordinance 1487 – the City of Arcata Mobile Home Rent (Control) Stabilization Ordinance “was being rammed through by a small minority of Lazy J Residents urged on by Paul Pitino,” please consider:
- The May 3 City Council meeting began the process of publicly examining the Draft Ordinance prepared by city staff.
- Over the past two-plus years an ever increasing number of concerned mobile home owners (not solely Lazy J residents) have contributed their skills, abilities, expertise and time to inform and involve all mobile home residents including those who are homebound.
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In early 2015, the Arcata Lazy J Home Owners’ Association – acting at the behest of the overwhelming majority of residents concerned about on-going, unprecedented space rent increases – formally requested an agenda item be placed before the City Council.
The item asked:
“The City Council… to direct its staff to investigate methods of providing rent relief and stability for mobile home park residents living on fixed incomes and then to make recommendations to the City Council on the best way to implement rent relief and stability in order to protect these residents from losing their homes.” - Sofia Pereira and Paul Pitino appear to have been the first councilmembers to investigate and comprehend the realities of our concerns.
Bernada Craig
Arcata