Evans Bill Protecting Affordability of Mobile Home Housing Passes State Assembly
California Political Desk
June 11, 2007
(SACRAMENTO, CA) The State Assembly moved to protect the homes of seniors and working families now living in mobile home parks by passing legislation authored by Assemblymember Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa).
Assembly Bill 1542 passed on a party line vote. It now moves to the State Senate for further review.
This bill is a historic victory in the fight to protect affordable housing,” says Evans. “It gives communities the tools they need when a conversion threatens to drive seniors and working families from their homes.”
AB 1542 closes a loophole in current law allowing mobile home park owners to subdivide and convert their mobile home parks into condominiums, to avoid local rent control, and to potentially make huge profits in the process. The bill does not ban conversions. But it does allow local governments to protect affordable housing stock.
Without this bill, people living on fixed incomes will become homeless,” adds Evans. “But, ultimately, it’s not just about that. It’s about seniors and working families getting screwed. Land values are so high in many communities that ownership is prohibitively expensive. And, developers and land speculators are profiting by selling mobile home parks out from under them.”
There are at least 40 pending mobile home park conversions across California, including the cities of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Hayward, Vallejo, Buellton, Carson, Ojai, and San Luis Obispo. Several cities and counties have adopted moratoriums to give the State Legislature time to act on AB 1542.
Current law allows a mobile home park to be subdivided into residential ownership. There are no safeguards for local governments to ensure that conversions serve the public interest. If one parcel in a mobile home park is sold, the phase-out of rent control begins for the remaining park residents regardless of whether they choose to be a homeowner or not. After 4 years spaces can be rented at market rate. This means that a space rented for $600/month today could cost $1,000 to $1,500 in just a few years.
This bill will slow down conversions and allow local governments to find out how many residents will be displaced and how much affordable housing will be lost,” adds Evans. “Right now, seniors and working families live in fear that they will lose their homes if the park they call home is turned into condominiums.”
AB 1542 is sponsored by the City of Santa Rosa and the County of Sonoma. It is supported by the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties, the Sonoma Housing Advocacy Group, the Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners League, the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, and the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California. Further information about this legislation will be available online at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov.
Assembly Bill 1542 passed on a party line vote. It now moves to the State Senate for further review.
This bill is a historic victory in the fight to protect affordable housing,” says Evans. “It gives communities the tools they need when a conversion threatens to drive seniors and working families from their homes.”
AB 1542 closes a loophole in current law allowing mobile home park owners to subdivide and convert their mobile home parks into condominiums, to avoid local rent control, and to potentially make huge profits in the process. The bill does not ban conversions. But it does allow local governments to protect affordable housing stock.
Without this bill, people living on fixed incomes will become homeless,” adds Evans. “But, ultimately, it’s not just about that. It’s about seniors and working families getting screwed. Land values are so high in many communities that ownership is prohibitively expensive. And, developers and land speculators are profiting by selling mobile home parks out from under them.”
There are at least 40 pending mobile home park conversions across California, including the cities of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Hayward, Vallejo, Buellton, Carson, Ojai, and San Luis Obispo. Several cities and counties have adopted moratoriums to give the State Legislature time to act on AB 1542.
Current law allows a mobile home park to be subdivided into residential ownership. There are no safeguards for local governments to ensure that conversions serve the public interest. If one parcel in a mobile home park is sold, the phase-out of rent control begins for the remaining park residents regardless of whether they choose to be a homeowner or not. After 4 years spaces can be rented at market rate. This means that a space rented for $600/month today could cost $1,000 to $1,500 in just a few years.
This bill will slow down conversions and allow local governments to find out how many residents will be displaced and how much affordable housing will be lost,” adds Evans. “Right now, seniors and working families live in fear that they will lose their homes if the park they call home is turned into condominiums.”
AB 1542 is sponsored by the City of Santa Rosa and the County of Sonoma. It is supported by the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties, the Sonoma Housing Advocacy Group, the Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners League, the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, and the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California. Further information about this legislation will be available online at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov.