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ORDINANCE NO. 2033
AN INTERIM URGENCY ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CAMARILLO, CALIFORNIA ESTABLISHING A TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON RENT INCREASES ABOVE 3.2 PERCENT AT MOBILEHOME PARKS IN THE CITY The City Council of the City of Camarillo does ordain as follows:
SECTION 1. Authority. This interim urgency ordinance (“Ordinance”) is adopted pursuant to Article XI, Section 7 of the California Constitution, Government Code sections 36934 and 36937(b), and pursuant to other applicable law.
SECTION 2. Findings.
A.The City of Camarillo (“City”) is authorized by Article XI, Section 7 of the California Constitution to make and enforce all regulations and ordinances using its police powers.
B.Since at least March 28, 2025, community members have expressed concerns to the City Council relating to rent increases in mobilehome parks, which increases leave Camarillo mobilehome residents vulnerable to immediate displacement from the community, and to homelessness. Accordingly, on April 23, 2025, at a regular meeting of the City of Camarillo City Council, the Council directed staff to research the issue of mobilehome rent stabilization. And on May 15, 2025, the City Council voted to establish an ad hoc subcommittee on the topic of mobilehome rent stabilization.
C.Mobilehome parks provide a key source of affordable housing in Camarillo: both Casa Del Norte Mobile Home Park and Camarillo Mobile Estates each provide 135 spaces, and Lamplighter Mobile Home Park provides 227 spaces, resulting in an approximate total of 497 mobilehome spaces within the City.
D.Residents of mobilehome parks—unlike apartment tenants or residents of other rental properties—are in a unique position in that they have made a substantial investment in a residence for which space is rented or leased. Residents of mobilehome parks usually own their mobile home, while renting the land upon which the mobilehome sits from the park owner.
E.The imposition of sudden and excessive rent increases that are beyond the reach of mobilehome park residents require these residents to identify alternative sites for the relocation of mobilehomes, which is difficult to do given the shortage of vacant mobilehome spaces in the City, and restrictions on the age, size or style of mobile homes permitted in many mobilehome parks.
F.The removal or relocation of a mobilehome from a park space is generally accomplished at substantial cost to the resident. Additionally, the removal or relocation of a mobilehome may cause extensive damage to the mobile home.
G.As a practical matter, because of the high cost of moving mobilehomes, including the loss of substantial improvements to the mobilehome and space made by the mobilehome owner, mobilehomes are generally sold in place, and unreasonably high space rent may erode any reasonable equity a homeowner has in a mobilehome at the time of sale by affecting the sale price of the mobile home. The City has analyzed data indicating that this phenomenon is occurring in Camarillo.
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H.In Camarillo, mobilehome parks have significantly higher rents compared to neighboring cities, with the lowest Camarillo park average rent situated above the average stabilized rents in other cities and the County. The average stabilized land rent across parks analyzed in Ventura County is $829.00.
I.The City Council finds that residents in mobilehome parks are often low income, are on fixed incomes, or are elderly, and may not have the resources to secure alternative housing.
J.Sudden and excessive rent increases for mobile home park tenants are likely to exacerbate housing insecurity in the City and increase the unhoused population.
K.The City of Camarillo currently does not directly regulate rental amounts or rent increases on mobilehomes in the City, but does have a voluntary mediation ordinance to encourage residents and park owners to resolve rental disputes.
L.The potential for sharp increases to rents within mobilehome parks within the City could cause hardship to a substantial number of mobile home tenants in Camarillo.
M. Residents at mobilehome parks are uniquely vulnerable to displacement when sudden rent increases occur, and sudden, large rent increases create undue hardship for residents through additional relocation costs, stress and anxiety, and the threat of homelessness due to the lack of alternative housing.
N. Without local protection, mobilehome residents are likely to experience a surge in displacements and potential homelessness as excessive rent increases are imposed on tenants.
O. Given the high cost of housing, excessive rent increases of mobilehome tenants could lead to long term or permanent displacement, thereby impacting the health and safety of these residents.
P.This moratorium, unless extended, is only effective for 180 days.
Q.This interim urgency Ordinance allows up to a 3.2 percent annual increase in rent during the moratorium period, and such figure, which is based upon the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim for June 2025, is found and determined to provide a fair return.
R.It is the intent of the City Council to consider adoption of a permanent mobilehome rent stabilization ordinance in the future, and in light of impending rent increases on mobilehome tenants, this Ordinance will provide time for the City to consider a permanent ordinance.
S.The City Council finds and determines that a temporary moratorium on mobilehome rent increases is necessary because park owners have an immediate incentive to increase rents to even higher levels before the City could implement a permanent rent stabilization ordinance. Rent increases in anticipation of the law would defeat the intent and purpose of any potential future regulation and substantially impair its effective implementation.
U.In light of the above findings, there exists a current and immediate threat to the public peace, health, safety, and welfare of Camarillo residents requiring immediate implementation of a moratorium on certain mobilehome rent increases in the City of Camarillo. This interim urgency 4921-8859-6845 v1
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Ordinance is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety, and welfare of City residents.
Section 3. Temporary Moratorium on Mobilehome Rent Increases.
A. A mobilehome park (defined in Civil Code section 798.4, as may be amended from time to time) owner or agent thereof shall not increase any rent due from a tenant or resident of a mobilehome park within the City by more than 3.2 percent during the effectiveness of this Ordinance.
B. No mobilehome park owner or agent thereof may retaliate against a tenant of a mobilehome park, resident of a mobilehome park, resident representative, or prospective tenant or resident, for the assertion or exercise of rights under this Ordinance in any manner.
C. Remedies and Waiver of Rights.
1. In the event that a Mobilehome Park Owner or agent thereof demands, accepts, receives, or retains any payment in excess of the amounts allowed under this Ordinance, the tenant or resident may file a civil suit against the Mobilehome Park Owner. A Mobilehome Park Owner or agent thereof who demands, accepts, receives, or retains any payment of rent in excess of the amounts allowed under this Ordinance shall be liable to the tenant or resident in the amount by which the payment or payments have exceeded the allowable rent. In such a case, the rent shall be adjusted to reflect the lawful rent pursuant to this Ordinance.
2. A Mobilehome Park Owner or agent thereof who willfully demands, accepts, or retains any payment of rent in violation of the provisions of this Ordinance shall be liable in a civil action to the person from whom payment is demanded, accepted or retained for damages in the sum of three times the amount by which payment or payments demanded, accepted or retained exceed the maximum rent which could lawfully be demanded, accepted or retained. A prevailing tenant or resident in a civil action brought to enforce this Ordinance shall be awarded reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs as determined by the court. No administrative remedy need be exhausted prior to filing suit.
3. The remedies available in this Ordinance are not exclusive and may be used cumulatively with any other remedies available in this Ordinance or at law.
D. Waiver of Rights.
1. Any waiver or purported waiver by a tenant or resident of rights granted under this Ordinance prior to the time when said rights may be exercised shall be void as contrary to public policy. It shall be unlawful for a Mobilehome Park Owner or agent thereof to require or attempt to require, as a condition of tenancy in a Mobilehome Park, a tenant or resident, or prospective tenant or resident, to waive, in a lease or rental agreement, the rights granted to a tenant or resident by this Ordinance.
2. It shall be unlawful for a Mobilehome Park Owner or agent thereof to deny or threaten to deny a tenancy in a Mobilehome Park to any person on account of such person’s refusal to enter into a lease or rental agreement or any other agreement under which such person would waive the rights granted to a tenant or resident by this Ordinance. 4921-8859-6845 v1
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3. Nothing in this Ordinance shall preclude a tenant or resident, or prospective tenant or resident, from entering into a lease or rental agreement, provided that such lease or rental agreement is not procured by a requirement that it be entered into as a condition of tenancy in the Mobilehome Park, and is not procured under a threat of denial of tenancy in the Mobilehome Park.
E. Nothing in this Ordinance relieves a tenant of the obligation to pay rent or restricts a Mobilehome Park Owner’s ability to recover rent due.
F. Defense to Action for Recovery of Possession.
1. A Mobilehome Park Owner’s or agent’s failure to comply with any of the provisions of this Ordinance or any regulations promulgated hereunder shall serve as a complete affirmative defense in any action brought to recover possession of a Mobilehome Space.
2. A tenant’s refusal to pay rent in excess of the amount allowed under this Ordinance shall be a complete affirmative defense in any action brought to: a) recover possession of a Mobilehome Space for nonpayment of rent; or b) collect rent in excess of the amount allowed under this Ordinance.
G. The City reserves the right to enforce administrative remedies in the Camarillo Municipal Code and to pursue any other remedies legally available against individuals knowingly or intentionally violating the provisions of this Ordinance.
H. This Ordinance shall not be construed to limit or curtail any other action or proceeding which may be pursued by a tenant or resident or Mobilehome Park Owner before any court or other body having jurisdiction thereof.
Section 4. Exemptions.
A. This Ordinance shall not apply to mobilehome spaces that are required to be exempt by law.
B. This Ordinance shall not apply to any mobilehome spaces that are exempt from local mobilehome rent stabilization ordinances as required by law, including, but not limited to, Civil Code Section 798.21, and including but not limited to mobilehome spaces that are not the principle residence of the tenant.
Section 4. Effective and Expiration Dates. This Ordinance is an urgency Ordinance enacted under California Government Code sections 36934 and 36937(b). This Ordinance shall take effect and be in force immediately upon its adoption by a 4/5ths vote of the City Council.
This Ordinance shall automatically expire 180 days from its date of adoption on April 20, 2026, unless an extension is adopted by a vote of the City Council. Further, this Ordinance shall automatically expire and no longer be effective: 1) in the event that the State enacts any law that operates to stabilize rents for mobilehome park residents in Camarillo, and is more protective than this Ordinance; or 2) upon the repeal of this Ordinance by a vote of the City Council.
Section 5. Severability. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision will not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this Ordinance and each 4921-8859-6845 v1
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and every section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase not declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion of the Ordinance would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.
Section 6. Environmental Determination. The City Council hereby finds that the action to adopt this Ordinance is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) of the CEQA Guidelines (Title 14, Chapter 3 of the California Code of Regulations) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonable foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378 of the CEQA Guidelines because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly).
Section 7. Urgency Clause. The City Council finds and declares that this ordinance is required for the immediate protection of the public peace, health and safety, and incorporates the recitals herein by reference. Without this Ordinance, City of Camarillo tenants could suffer potentially irreversible displacement resulting from sudden and excessive rent increases. The Council, therefore, adopts this ordinance to become effective immediately, pursuant to California Government Code Section 36937 upon 4/5 vote.
Section 8. Publication. The City Clerk is hereby directed to certify to the passage of this Ordinance and to cause it to be published in the manner required by law.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED October 22, 2025
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Kevin Kildee, Mayor
Attested to on _________________.
_____________________________
Carrie Weal, City Clerk
I, Carrie Weal, City Clerk of the City of Camarillo, certify Ordinance No. 2033 was adopted by the City Council at a regular meeting held October 22, 2025 by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
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City Clerk