15.04.010 Purpose and findings.

(A) Residents of mobilehome parks, unlike apartment residents or residents of other rental properties, are in a unique position in that prior to occupation of a mobilehome space they are required to make substantial investments in a mobilehome residence and incur the expense of placing their mobilehome on the rented mobilehome site. In addition, the removal or relocation of a resident's mobilehome from a given space can be accomplished only at substantial costs, such relocation may cause extensive damage to the mobilehome, and many older mobilehomes cannot, in fact, be relocated to newer mobilehome parks due to permit, landscaping, site preparation requirements, and restrictions that many newer mobilehome parks impose on renters.

(B) There is presently within the city a shortage of mobilehome spaces on which there are not currently located mobilehomes and which are therefore available for occupancy. This shortage of empty spaces, which currently approximates one percent of all mobilehome spaces within the city, has resulted in an extreme shortage of decent, safe and sanitary mobilehome housing in the city.

(C) Mobilehomes constitute an important source of housing for persons of low and moderate income. Because of the present shortage of empty mobilehome spaces, there is a low vacancy rate and rents are rapidly rising and have been for several years in mobilehome parks in the city, causing concern, anguish and stress to a substantial number of the mobilehome owners and residents of mobilehome parks within the city, many of whom are retired persons on fixed incomes, elderly persons on fixed incomes, or persons with relatively low incomes.

(D) Alternative sites for the relocation of mobilehomes within the city and surrounding areas are difficult to find due to the shortage of vacant spaces, restrictions on the age, size or style of mobilehomes permitted in many parks, and requirements related to the installation of mobilehomes, including permits, landscaping and site preparation.

(E) The result of the conditions identified above has been the creation of a captive audience of mobilehome owners. This in turn has contributed to the creation of a great imbalance in the bargaining positions of the park owners and mobilehome owners in favor of the park owners.

(F) Mobilehome owners are property owners with sizable investments in their homes and appurtenances and would incur significant costs in the event of relocation.

(G) The continuing possibility of unreasonable space rental increases in mobilehome parks within the city threatens to diminish the value of the investment of the mobilehome owner in his or her mobilehome and contributes to unreasonably suppressed resale rates. Therefore, it is desirable to provide vacancy control in the rent stabilization program.

(H) Existing state law permits mobilehome park owners to require mobilehome owners to make modifications to their homes for reasons of aesthetics or conformity to park standards that amount to capital improvements which accrue to the benefit of the park owner by potentially increasing the market value of the park itself.

(I) Because of the low vacancy rate, it is necessary to encourage the development of mobilehome parks within the city to the extent permitted by state and local law by exempting newly constructed mobilehome spaces from the provisions of this chapter.

(J) It is the purpose of this chapter to protect the owners and occupiers of mobilehomes within the city from unreasonable space rent increases or assessments, while at the same time providing the mobilehome park owners with a just and reasonable rate of return on their property.

(K) There is no possibility that the adoption of the ordinance codified in this chapter will have a significant effect on the environment in that there will be no deviation from the general plan and no change in the present use of property within the city and therefore its enactment is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.