AB 1309 Will be Brought to a Vote: If Passed, Will End All CA Rent Control

From CoMO-CAL Message Board:

Assembly Bill 1309, orginated by assembly member Charles Calderon, will be brought to the assembly floor for a vote, according to the staff at Calderon's office. The bill will end vacancy rent control almost completely. That means no one buying a rent-controlled home will have rent control, making the purchase of a mobile home VERY unattractive. Whenever vacancy rent control has been lost because of changes in laws, the homes lost their value almost completely.

If the bill passes the Assembly, it will go to the Senate, which is expected to pass it also. It will then be in effect as soon as the bill is signed by the governor, who is expected to sign it.

Write your assembly person NOW! Santee is located in the 77th District, Assemblyman Joel Anderson. A draft of a sample letter is below. The directory of the entire California State Assembly can be located at www.assembly.ca.gov.

SAMPLE LETTER:

Assemblyman Joel Anderson
California State Capitol
Room 2111
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Assemblyman Anderson,

I am a mobile home park resident who is urging you NOT to pass AB 1309. This bill, which favors park owners by allowing vacancy decontrol, would have a negative impact on senior citizens. It would diminish the stock of affordable housing in California and create great hardship for individual park residents.

Many residents own their manufactured homes, but pay rent for the land on which the home sits. The residents include many senior citizens on fixed incomes. When they purchased their homes, the price they paid reflected both the intrinsic value of the coach and the security of ongoing rent control.

If AB 1309 were to pass, park owners could set a new rent, at any level they wished, when a coach is sold. Thus current home owners – if they choose to or needed to sell – could no longer determine a selling price that factors in the benefit of rent control. As a result, their equity would severely diminish. For many, this represents their life's savings.

In a press release dated May 9, 2007 and posted on PR Newswire by the Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association (WMA) – an organization devoted to promoting the interests of owners, operators and developers of manufactured home communities in California – the WMA claims that AB 1309 “would permit what is known as vacancy decontrol by allowing a one-time rent adjustment for a new mobile home park resident, while not impacting any current residents.”

The WMA, which sponsors AB 1309, is disingenuous in claiming that the bill would not impact current residents. While rent control would remain in effect for existing residents, the equity they count on would be greatly diminished – as would their peace of mind. In addition, with vacancy decontrol:
• Park becomes an unequal, mixed community (residents paying a variety of rents).
• Current residents' lifetime savings vanish, as equity is decreased for owner and heirs. This can prove devastating for those who must move, often due to illness or family concerns.
• As older residents depart, park gradually converts from affordable to expensive housing – eroding the community's stock of affordable housing.

I strongly urge you to consider the needs of your constituents in reviewing this bill. AB 1309 is an insidious assault on our well-being. We count on you to make sure it does not pass.

Sincerely,