City Urged to Settle Mobile Home Dispute

MOORPARK —  Both sides in the city’s ongoing debate over rent control for mobile homes are growing upset with the city for not settling the question.

“We’ve put ourselves in the situation where we’re once again catching it from both sides,” Councilman Chris Evans said.

Evans agreed last spring to mediate between the renters of the 240-space Villa Del Arroyo Mobile Home Park and its owner, Dale Williams. That led to a discussion over whether the city should modify its rent-control law for mobile homes.

The current ordinance allows owners of the city’s two mobile-home parks to raise space rents by 4% annually or by the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index, whichever is higher.

Proposed changes would limit increases to inflation, which has remained about 2% to 3.5% during the past four years, and require the law’s stipulations to be described in layman’s terms in a brochure to be handed out to residents.

The council, which has been debating the issue for months, made no decision last week, instead deciding to bring the issue back in May.

Alice Rowan, who has led the effort to stem rent increases at Villa Del Arroyo and helped spark the discussion of the rent law, asked council members whether they were abandoning the renters.

“Are you going to vote on this? Are you going to hang us out to dry? What?”

Representatives for Williams are urging the city to end the ordeal by leaving the current rent ordinance as it stands.

“We’re still beating this dead horse and I think it’s time we’re done doing that,” said Richard Elias, vice president of the park’s management company. “I don’t understand what’s going to be gained by continuing this thing.”

Representatives for the park owners said Williams has already been “price-fixed enough” and have threatened to sue if the law is changed.

“He’s not allowing you to further tamper with it and further erode his property rights,” said Robert Coldren, an attorney representing Williams.

Moorpark had a rent-control ordinance until 1989, when Williams successfully challenged the law in court. But his victory was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court and the city reinstated the ordinance.

Five years ago Williams forced a referendum on the law, which was upheld by a majority of Moorpark voters.

The latest debate resulted after Villa Del Arroyo tenants complained they cannot afford the 4% increases that Williams hands out every year.

The owner has allowed renters to apply for a subsidy to offset the increase if they face a hardship. Since January’s rent increase, 16 out of 17 applications have been approved, Rowan said.

In addition to limiting increases to inflation, Rowan and other residents would like the law to create a mediation board that would rule on rent increases. Similar boards exist in other cities.

Evans, however, said the city must be sure to model its ordinance after one that can withstand a legal challenge.

“It’s not that we don’t want one,” Evans said of an amendment for a mediation board. But “there’s no doubt that this particular owner will sue at the drop of a hat--and he’s been quite forthcoming saying he’s going to sue.”

In the meantime, Im-Young Kim, owner of the city’s smaller mobile-home park, the 28-space Moorpark Mobile Homepark, urged the city not to adopt an amended ordinance. An ordinance would affect his park as well.

“I need more revenue so I ask not to change the ordinance,” Kim said.