KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Santa Clarita City Councilmembers are set to discuss a change in how mobile home park rent increases are approved, drawing ire from park residents for a move the city characterized as streamlining the process.
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The city of Santa Clarita is proposing to replace an elected panel with a “subcontracted” officer selected by the community development director, among a number of proposed changes.
From a previous story: Mobile Home Park Residents Concerned With Potential Changes
Currently, a mobile home park panel consisting of two members elected from the mobile home park owners and two elected by park residents are joined by a fifth member chosen by the four elected members.
This panel conducts rent adjustment hearings when a proposed annual rent increase is appealed by the affected residents.
A number of proposed changes to the code that regulates manufactured homes in Santa Clarita are on the agenda for the May 9 City Council meeting.
“As the representative for the renters on the panel, I am deeply concerned with the changes,” said Douglas Fraser, chairman of the Manufactured Home Rental Adjustment Panel. “City staff are trying to take away the power from the residents.”
The city said a new process, with one person, to be selected by Tom Cole, the city’s community development director, would approve or deny rent increases on behalf of the park owners and residents — and this new process would be much faster.
“The city has tried to strike a balance between the owners and renters,” said Erin Lay, housing program administrator. “We feel this new officer would speed up the process for appeals.”
In Fiscal Year 2016-17, three appeals were heard by the Panel, with the appeal process lasting from November 2016 through February 2017. Panel meetings have become polarized during the appeal process, according to the item.
The proposed changes are to Chapter 6.02 of the Santa Clarita Municipal Code (SCMC 6.02). A code that addresses rent increases and park closures, according to city documents.
The proposed hearing officer is a “sub-contractor” employed by Santa Clarita. This officer would have a background in law or related matters, according to city housing officials.
“The director community development would select this officer from a pool of candidates,” said Lay. “The officer would have to be impartial — they cannot have any connection to either renters or owners.”
The hearing officer would be a paid independent contractor with no ownership or residency interest in any manufactured home or manufactured home park, and would be selected using an objective and unbiased evaluation process, similar to processes used for other city contractors, according to the item.
There are about 2,000 people across 17 mobile home parks in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Other proposed changes include clarification of timing and definitions of terms in the text of the code, according to city officials.
The proposed changes were presented at two public comment meetings held on April 3 and 4, and to the City Council Development Committee.
Approximately 60 individuals attended the public comment meetings and provided staff with feedback on the proposed changes, according to city documents.
As I stated in comments in the original article, this is a bad idea, as it takes away people’s representation leaving them at the mercy of one ‘appointed’ individual, rather than a democratic process. They tried this sort of thing, replacing ELECTED officials with hand-picked ‘managers’, in Michigan, with disastrous results for it’s citizens. Think Flint. This is how it starts- on the local level. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a good idea.
This latest move to control the rents of the SCV mobile homes is about money for the City. Look at the land on Sand Canyon and Soledad, where there has been a mobile home park forever. It is almost completely empty now, ready to build a new housing development, which will generate millions of tax dollars and City fees. Don’t be fooled. It’s time to vote out the career councilmen who are behind this.
So, what do you want to do ? If you keep it the way they are without any adjustments like rent increase or needed improvements. . . how do you expect those owners to keep operating the business in the face of shortcomings brought upon by increasing maintenance, taxes etc.
Without this added revenue these park owners would have no choice but to shutter the whole park area.
Then imagine what you’re gonna end up with.
That’s not the issue, Vic.
It’s about the method used.
It’s about taking the people’s input away from the decision-making process.
I don’t know about you, Vic, but when I feel my voice no longer counts, count me out.
That is NOT how democracy works on any level- even local.