December 20, 2022
City Council
DATE: December 20, 2022
TO: Mayor Butt and Members of the City Council
FROM: Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin
Subject:
Acknowledge the Passage of AB 252, State Legislation
Preventing Excessive Rent Increases For Bay Area
Floating Homes.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact related to this item.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
N/A
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Assembly Bill 252 was signed into law on September 28,
2022, by Governor Newsom. This legislation protects
floating homeowners from sharp increases in the rents
they pay for their legal berths on SF Bay. Richmond has ten (10) floating homeowners berthed at Pt. San Pablo
Harbor for which this state law applies. This item is to inform the marina owner and the tenants of this state law.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
ADOPT a resolution acknowledging the passage of AB
252, which is state legislation preventing excessive rent increases for Bay Area floating homes - Councilmember
Gayle McLaughlin 510-620-6636.
DISCUSSION:
On September 28, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 252 (AB 252) that will protect 477 floating homeowners from sharp increases in the rents they pay for legal berths on San Francisco Bay.
AGENDA
REPORT
December 20, 2022
The two main provisions of this bill are to limit annual berth rent increases in San Francisco Bay Area floating home marinas to three percent (3%) plus the cost of living, or five percent (5%), whichever is lower, and prohibit marina owners from increasing berth rents for floating homes that are sold.
The provisions of AB 252 apply to Bay Area floating home marinas in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Marin Counties, where floating homes are concentrated on San Francisco Bay. This legislation also extends the rent and vacancy control protections enjoyed by many mobile homeowners to those who own floating homes.
Floating home communities provide housing for economically diverse populations, including many seniors and others living on low and fixed incomes. Like mobile homeowners, these residents own their homes but rent their berths. However, while mobile homes in 86 cities and counties have rent protection, and those in 60 jurisdictions have vacancy control, the approximately 500 floating homeowners in California, until passage of AB 252, had no such protections and were vulnerable to excessive rent increases.
The City of Richmond currently has ten (10) floating home households that are sited at Point San Pablo Harbor. Members of the Richmond community who reside at Pt. San Pablo Harbor are part of the Bay Area Floating Homes Association who advocated strongly for this important state legislation.
The attached resolution acknowledges the passage of AB 252 and thanks the Bay Area Floating Homes Association for their dedicated advocacy on behalf of floating home communities throughout the Bay Area. In addition, it directs City staff members to send a copy of this resolution, along with a copy of AB 252, to the marina owners of Point San Pablo Harbor in Richmond, and also resolves that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Richmond households who reside in floating homes at the Point San Pablo Harbor via their advocacy representatives with Bay Area Floating Homes Association.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Resolution
Attachment 2 – AB 252