HOUSING DEPARTMENT
January 27, 2026
City Council Meeting
Item: 8.6
Erik L. Soliván
Director
Mobilehome Rent
Ordinance
Item 8.6
Slide 21/27/2026
Slide 31/27/2026
MAP OF MOBILEHOME PARKS
CD # of
parks
# of
spaces
# of sr.
parks
# of parks
w/ RVs*
D1 0 0 0 0
D2 10 2,711 2 2
D3 11 1,219 0 6
D4 5 1,883 0 0
D5 4 300 1 1
D6 3 439 2 0
D7 17 3,067 3 6
D8 4 749 1 0
D9 1 52 1 0
D10 2 321 1 0
58 10,741 11 15
*This includes parks reporting having RVs occupying spaces and the 4 parks with 153 permitted RV-only spaces.
Amendments to MRO align with Rent Stabilization Program 3-year Strategic Plan accepted by City Council in September 2024
1. Improve data collection
2. Increase transparency
3. Improve and streamline program administration
4. Accessible mechanisms for residents to enforce their rights and owners to achieve a fair return
Slide 41/27/2026
RENT STABILIZATION STRATEGIC PLAN
1. Implementing the Council Directed Rent Stabilization Program Strategic Plan of 2024
2. Modernizing and streamlining 33-year-old regulations
3. Increasing resident rights, protections
4. Leveling the annual rent increase (3%) on residents
5. Balancing revenues and expenses for site sustainability through decontrol adjustments Slide 51/27/2026
Proposed Amendments – Summary
MOBILEHOME RENT ORDINANCE HISTORY
Initial Rent
Ordinance
City Council
adopted rent
control covering
mobilehomes and
apartments
MRO
Established
Ordinance
separated
mobilehome and
apartments
and established the
Mobilehome Rent
Ordinance (MRO)
Major
Amendments
Era
Substantive
ordinance
amendments
adopted
(Regulations last
amended in 1992)
Strategic Reset
Rent Stabilization
Program Strategic
Plan
adopted by City
Council
Evaluation
Evaluation of
MRO and
development of
ordinance
amendments
1979 1985 1986 & 1993 2024 2025
The stated purpose of the MRO:
“The purpose of the city council in enacting this chapter is to prevent excessive and unreasonable rent increases to mobilehome park residents, to prevent an exploitation of the shortage of available mobilehome lots in the city, to permit mobilehome park owners to receive a fair and reasonable return, and to establish a process for rent dispute resolution.” Work Plan
Approval
2025
HCDC work plan
approved
Slide 441/27/2026
1. August, September 2024 - Goals of Strategic Plan and regulatory updates across all programs discussed during HCDC, City Council Committee and City Council meetings
2. Summer to fall 2025 – Development of new regulations and draft amendments
3. November 6, 2025 - Memo re: proposed amendments posted to HCDC website
4. November - December 2025 - Informal discussions with stakeholders
5. November 2025 & December 2025 - Mailers sent to all park residents and owners
6. November 20, 2025, December 17, 2025 & January 15, 2026 – Virtual community meetings held
7. December 11, 2025 - HCDC meeting
8. December – January – Briefings with Council Members and Mayor
9. January 12, 2026 – In-person community meeting at Leininger Community Center
10. January 27, 2026 - City Council meeting “Housing Day” Slide 71/27/2026
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Staff addressed over 300 comments and questions received by email and during public meeting, primarily concerning:
Changes, if any, to rent increase limits for current residents.
Benefits or negative impacts related to the proposed one-time increase upon sale.
Distinction between the proposed Added Benefit Capital Improvement petition and regular capital improvements that can only be included in a petition for fair return.
Why amendments are being proposed.
Impacts of fair return petitions on residents and the Housing Department staff.
Information to be collected in the proposed rent registry.
Slide 8
Summary of feedback
1/27/2026
Vacancy control for estate transfers of the unit
Fair return petition for park owners
Renters of mobilehomes being covered by the MRO
Slide 91/27/2026
NO CHANGES PROPOSED
These provisions remain fully in effect
The following MRO provisions will not be changed or removed:
Eliminating outdated provisions and conforming to current state law Slide 101/27/2026
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS - 1
State Law Alignment
Removes the exemption for leases
over 12 months.
(“long term lease exemption”) per
California Assembly Bill 2782
Remove Obsolete Sections
Eliminates sections only applicable
during 1980s and 1990s
Administrative Updates
Updates definitions and
administrative provisions to reflect
the current City and Department
structure
Purpose: Modernize the MRO while maintaining core protections Streamlining Ordinance and Regulations
Slide 111/27/2026
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS - 2
Transferring petition and administrative process provisions from ordinance to regulations to allow for continued process improvements
Transferring hearing processes from ordinance to regulations to allow for efficiency in administration and continuous process improvements
Noticing requirements and role of Program staff moved from ordinance to regulation for ease of adapting to technology and City processes
Strengthening Resident Protections
Slide 121/27/2026
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS - 3
Establishing a resident
petition process to
initiate and request rent
disputes settlements
Establishing a resident process
appealing petition decisions,
mitigating the need to address
concerns through the state court,
thereby reducing costs for
securing rights
Establishing a mobilehome park
rent registry for all units that park
owners must complete annually
prior to implementing any rent
adjustments
• 10% vacancy decontrol only applies a rent increase at the time of sale and transfer to a new occupant
• Does not apply to transfers to partners or next of kin who are current occupants • 10% was determined by two points of analysis
• Structural imbalance between the preserved 3% annual rent increases and substantially higher costs for park operations, primarily insurance and utility infrastructure costs (AB 604 caps)
• Survey of area jurisdictions on decontrol rates for surrounding mobilehome parks • 10% vacancy decontrol will be unit-owner initiated, and the rent registry and resident rights petition will provide oversight to reduce the risk of coercion Slide 13
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS - 4
1/27/2026
1. Sale & New Occupancy: Upon the sale of a
mobilehome, a one-time increase of up to
10% is permitted
Mitigates significant increases in
operating costs and aligns with policies of 72% of
106 mobilehome rent control jurisdictions in CA
Addressing structural imbalance
between rising costs of insurance, utility
infrastructure costs under AB 604 and operations,
and flattened revenue growth
Slide 141/27/2026
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS - 5
2. Added Benefit Capital Improvement:
Establishing an expedited process for
cost recovery for capital improvements
that provide added
benefits to residents
Encouraging sustainability and energy
efficiency improvements
Addressing the need for resident amenities
Balancing Park Owner Interests and Encouraging Park Improvements