Legal Aid's mission is to promote social justice and
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OF SONOMA COUNTY
Board of Directors
May 1, 2025
President
Jennifer Douglas
Dickenson, Peatman & Ms. Nancy Hall Bennett
Fogarty
League of California Cities
Vice President
1400 K Street, 4th Floor
Jacquelynne Ocaña
Private Fiduciary Sacramento, CA 95814
Secretary
Jack Sanford Re: Requesting Support for SB 749 (Allen) - Mobile Home Parks:
Abbey Weitzenberg Warren
& Emery Cessation, Closure or Change in Use
Treasurer
Ann Hudson Dear Ms. Bennett,
Exchange Bank
Past President We are writing today to request that the City of Cotati support California Chris Grabill
SRJC Wildfire Resilience Senate Bill 749 introduced by Senator Ben Allen. SB 749 aims to protect Program mobilehome parks at risk of closure or conversion by establishing a "right of first refusal" to resident organizations, HCD-qualified nonprofit organizations, Directors and public agencies. We think that this will be a particularly helpful tool for Cotati to ensure that, upon a threatened closure of a mobilehome park, the Thomas Del Monte
Spaulding McCullough & residents or another qualified nonprofit entity can purchase the park at its Tansil
fair market price and preserve that housing.
Henry Huang, J.D. CPA
Meridian Realty &
Mortgage Co. Mobilehome parks represent the largest source of unsubsidized affordable housing in our state and are home to many older adults and low-income Ken Molinaro
PDS Vacations LLC residents. Cotati has expressed a strong commitment to preserve its mobilehome parks, and reflected that commitment in its Housing Element.
Chris Smith
Retired Columnist But parks are increasing at risk of closure statewide, a trend worsened by California's recent and unprecedented wildfires in our wildland-urban Kara Wilson
Cooley LLP interface. Earlier this year, the Palisades Fire destroyed two mobilehome parks, the Palisades Bowl and Tahitian Terrace, displacing hundreds of Executive Director residents. Our community understands this loss all too well. Hundreds of Sunny Noh
residents at Journey's End Mobile Home Park lost their homes, and two residents tragically lost their lives to the Tubbs Fire.
California's Preservation Notice Law requires owners of affordable housing seeking to convert to market rate to give notice to potential buyers interested in preserving affordability. SB 749 uses that model and prohibits the closure, cessation, or change of use of a mobilehome park without providing resident organizations, public agencies, or HCD-qualified nonprofits notice and the opportunity to purchase within 9 months. This would serve as a valuable tool to preserve the affordable housing provided by mobilehome parks and 144 South E Street, Suite 100 Santa Rosa CA 95404 • Telephone (707) 542-1290 • Fax (707) 542-0177 • www.legalaidsc.com discourage park managers from using the threat of closure to pressure residents and local governments, as seen in the cases of Country Side Mobile Home Park in Cotati, and Little Woods Mobile Villa and Youngstown Mobile Home Park in Petaluma.
For these reasons, Legal Aid of Sonoma County strongly supports SB 749, and we request that the City of Cotati take a position in support of this bill.
Sincerel
Fill MA
Patrick McDonell
Housing Team Supervisor
Legal Aid of Sonoma County
144 South E Street, Suite 100 Santa Rosa CA 95404 • Telephone (707) 542-1290 • Fax (707) 542-0177 • www.legalaidsc.com