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Western Manufactured housing Communities Association April 15, 2019 Mayor Miguel Pulido City of Santa Ana PO Box 1988, M31 Santa Ana, CA 92701 85A. DISCUSS AND CONSIDER GIVING DIRECTION TO STAFF TO PROVIDE OPTIONS REGARDING THE CITY'S ABILITY TO ADDRESS RENT INCREASES IN MOBILE HOME PARKS WITHIN THE CITY AND / OR OTHER OPTIONS REGARDING PRESERVING AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPTIONS WITHIN MOBILE HOME PARKS - Councilmember Sarmiento Dear Mayor Pulido, The Western Manufactured Community Housing Association (WMA) is a statewide trade association which represents mobile home park owners throughout California. WMA is always against government fixed price housing and rent control policies. I have attached a letter that was submitted for your consideration in February 2018 when the Santa Ana City Council studied rent control for all citywide rental housing. To summarize, rent control is inherently unfair, erodes affordable housing, is divisive to your community and costly to administer. These reasons are salient a year later. Since the last time this issue was studied, there has been much discussion about rent control. Supporters spearheaded a citizen's initiative to give Santa Ana voters an opportunity to vote directly on the subject of rent control. It failed to secure community support to receive enough signatures to place rent control on the ballot. Also, Proposition 10 was on California's statewide ballot in the Fall of 2018 which would have put mobilehome-type rent control restrictions on apartment rentals statewide. Santa Ana voters rejected those rent control expansions as well 54%-46%. In fact, it failed 55%-45% in Councilman Sarmiento's Ward 1. Mobile home park owner's associations have always been available to assist when differences arise between mobilehome park tenants and parkowners. We strongly believe this relationship is a private one and best handled outside the heavy hand of governmental regulation. In fact, in the most recent publicized rent increase at Rancho La Paz, a mobilehome park located in both Anaheim and Fullerton, the parkowner rescinded the increase, met with his residents and they are currently working through the issues surrounding the parkowner's recent acquisition of their community.