Tenants’ rights advocates were recently shocked when a bill, AB 761
(Calderon, D-Whittier), that would severely cripple all of California’s
over 100 local mobile-home rent control laws, passed the Assembly with
the minimum votes needed. What was so shocking is that the bill only
passed due to the support of a number of Los Angeles area progressive
and liberal Democrats providing their support.
AB 761 would extend Costa-Hawkins mandated vacancy decontrol to all of
the state’s mobile home rent control laws. Mobile Park owners would be
able to raise rents on mobile home spaces without limits when a mobile
home is sold to a new owner. This would have grave consequences for
mobile home owners who own the mobile home, but rent the space it sits
on. AB 761 would likely wipe out the investments of senior and
low-income mobile home owners by instantly de-valuing the worth of
their mobile home coaches. The bill’s passage would also give the real
estate industry confidence and momentum to seek other attacks on rent
control, tenants' rights and affordable housing laws.
Bill Resurrected From the Grave
On Monday, June 22, the bill appeared to be dead, falling three votes
short of the required 41 votes. But days later the bill was
reconsidered with two key Democrats who did not vote earlier, switching
to supporting the anti-rent control bill.
Advocates Shocked by Who Supported the Anti-Rent Control Bill
Shockingly, those legislators who switched their votes and sold out the
interest of mobile home owners were Speaker Karen Bass (D-South LA) and
Anthony Portantino (D-Pasadena). The other Assembly Members who were
surprise anti-rent control bill supporters from the get-go were John
Perez (D-LA), Mike Davis (D-South LA) and Kevin De Leon (D-LA). After
the initial vote Mike Villines (R-Fresno) added to the Aye votes giving
it 42 votes.
Assembly Members Supporting Tenants’ Rights
There were Assembly Members who held firm to their principled stand in
support of tenants'/mobile home owners rights and affordable housing,
and should be thanked. They are: Mike Feuer, Julia Brownley, Bob
Blumenfield, Felipe Fuentes, Bonnie Lowenthal, Dave Jones, Warren
Furutani, Tom Ammiano, Pedro Nava, Mary Hayashi, Alberto Torrico and
some others.
State Senate Vote Still Needed
Luckily, AB 761 has met a chillier reception in the Senate. For the
past weeks it has been stalled in the Senate Rules Committee where
bills are sent for referral to policy committees. Normally a bill is
referred to its policy committee within a few days after it arrives.
Any bill still sitting in Rules Committee at this point in the
legislative year is considered dead for the year.
But, no one is willing to write AB 761's off just yet because
legislative rules are routinely waived. Until the clock strikes
midnight on the final day of session, few are willing to sign the death
certificate.
(Larry Gross is the Executive Director of the Coalition for Economic
Survival and a contributor to CityWatch. He can be reached at www.cesinaction.org )
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