Santa Rosa Press Democrat: In killing Evans' bill, governor sides with mobile home park owners

From the 10/17/07 Santa Rosa Press Democrat:

In vetoing AB 1542 -- a modest attempt at compromise in the latest battle over mobile home park conversions -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger put a desire for process ahead of the needs of people.

In a message, Schwarzenegger said he was vetoing the legislation by Assemblywoman Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, because he preferred a "comprehensive approach to ensure that low-income individuals and families are protected, homeownership opportunities are affordable to those who choose them and stability of the home and property is preserved."

We agree with that. What we don't agree with is the governor's apparent willingness to abandon some current mobile home renters -- including senior citizens -- to the flaws in the existing system while the state waits for that perfect "comprehensive approach" to come along. California can't wait. Across the state, between 40 and 50 mobile home parks, including several here in Sonoma County, are in the process of being converted.

Evans' bill did not seek to block those conversions from occurring. Her legislation merely would have allowed local governments to have a voice when a mobile home park owner seeks to subdivide and convert lots to private ownership. Under current law, local rent-control ordinances -- such as those in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County -- are invalid as soon as a single unit is converted to private ownership.

Those most vulnerable to losing out are those renters who are unable to buy the lot under their mobile homes but don't qualify for the special state protections in place for low-income renters. Many of these individuals are at risk of seeing their rents soar and being forced out. It's unfortunate that Schwarzenegger is willing to accept that risk.

If the governor is determined to have a uniform system, he should raise the income requirements for mobile home renters covered by post-conversion rent control and ensure there's enough money in the system to provide low-interest lending assistance to all those who chose to buy their units.

If he's not willing to ensure such a process, he should side with protecting people.