HomeMy WebLinkAbout1994-04-19 - AGENDA REPORTS - MH EARTHQUAKE RELATED ISSUES (2)NEW BUSINESS
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AGENDA REPORT 9
City Manager Approval
Item to be presented by:
Lynn M. Harris
April 19, 1994
MOBILEHOMES: EARTHQUAKE RELATED ISSUES
Community Development
The January 17, 1994, Northridge Earthquake and following aftershocks caused extensive damage
to mobilehomes throughout the City. As a result of the quake, several issues regarding
mobilehomes require attention. These include:
1. Mobilehome parks are under the jurisdiction of the State of California. All inspections and
permitting are conducted by the California Department of Housing and Community
Development.. The state collects all the permit fees associated with these activities and bears
the administrative costs. The City may wish to consider taking over jurisdiction of the parks,
as this may offer speedier service to the parks. The potential costs and benefits should be
analyzed prior to a decision. However, should the City decide to take jurisdiction of the parks,
the City would not be able to adopt ordinances that would pre-empt state legislation, such as
requiring earthquake bracing, which is currently not required by the state.
2. The Planning Commission also suggested that the City take jurisdiction of the Parks, in order
to require placing the homes on permanent foundations. With this accomplished, the
Commission then hoped that the homes could be added to the property tax roles. This would
require the expense of installing a foundation. The Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) and the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (DES) are in the process of funding
and installing earthquake bracing to supplement the existing support systems, which becomes
an unnecessary effort if the homes are placed on a permanent foundation. The possibility of
an increased tax burden for the mobilehome owners would also have to be evaluated.
3. The existing rent stabilization ordinance was approved in a public participation process that
included homeowners and park owners. Section 6.02.160 of the ordinance states that the
provisions of the ordinance will be suspended in a park if the vacancy rate exceeds five
percent. A letter from a mobilehome resident indicates concern that this five percent figure may
have already been reached in Mulberry Mobilehome Park. Staff believes that this possibility
may exist in other parks. The ordinance was adopted at a time of extremely low vacancy rates,
and there was a concern that the limited space openings could cause space rents to rise faster
than inflation. The homeowner is concerned that the current increase in vacancies results from
the earthquake, and that homeowners should be protected from the suspension of the rent
stabilization ordinance.
The decision to pursue any of the issues identified would involve substantial policy shifts, which
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would involve the adoption of ordinances and negotiations with the state and other taxing
authorities. Consultations with homeowners and park owners would be necessary, as well as the
expenditure of considerable staff resources. Prior to initiating a policy review of any or all of these
policy directions, staff requests Council direction.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Council:
Discuss items, and if City Council concurs, any of the three (3) would be further investigated
and staff would meet with representatives from the mobilehome community, to determine the
level of interest, including a method of maintaining revenue neutrality.
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