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County OKs mobile home rent control

By Jeanine Gore--Half Moon Bay Review
Published/Last Modified on Tuesday, Sep 09, 2003 - 10:00:00 pm PDT

In what's being hailed as a victory for local mobile home park residents and a daunting precedent for landlords, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to limit rent increases for the county's eight unincorporated mobile home parks.

The supervisors instructed its staff to craft an ordinance that would allow increases just once per year - at no more than 75 percent of the inflation rate.

It would roll back rents by about $30 per month at the El Granada Mobile Home Community.

It was a long-awaited decision and, to Supervisor Mike Nevin, it was long overdue, given what he called the greedy and unresponsive behavior of management, based in Provo, Utah, toward the residents at the El Granada park.

"This has been an ongoing problem that we've had most especially with the (mobile home park) on the coast," said Nevin.

"They've been gouged on the coast. I'm sorry it got to that point. I'm sorry we couldn't get more respect from greedy out-of-towners in Utah, but I'm proud we did it."

Nevin said, in general, the board does not support rent control - however, he said, it exhausted all other means of finding a solution to the ongoing problem.

"These poor people have been between a rock and a hard place," he said.

Supervisor Rich Gordon agreed and said because the vote was unanimous the provision is almost sure to be adopted at a hearing Sept. 23.

"Unless a couple of folks have radically changed their minds - and it would take three people to radically change their minds - this would be approved without further debate," Gordon said.

A key provision is that, if the owners feel that if that doesn't allow a fair rate of return on investment, then the management can appeal to the county to request a greater rent increase.

"We felt we had tried everything we could do to get the attention

of the park owners relative to issues of fairness, equality and good treatment of the residents," said Lisa Ketcham of the El Granada Mobile Home Community.

"And nothing worked," she said.

Sitting in the supervisors' chambers, she said, she was flooded with relief and joy.

"We do try to be quiet and we know you're not supposed to cheer and clap at these things," Ketcham said, "but it was pretty hard not to clap.

"This is the victory we've been waiting for, for three years. All our problems are not solved, but this will be a great help."

Gordon said he understands the fear and dread generated by the words, "rent control."

"I don't know that anybody on this Board of Supervisors - certainly not me - is a fan of rent control."

He said he has met with representatives of the Western Manufactured Homes Association, but got no results.

"I got them in my office and said, 'You've got a problem, you've got to work with these owners and get it solved.'

"But nothing. This is a last resort."

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