RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - After much discussion over the past year on how best to assist, the City Council finally decided to give a helping hand to Mobile Home Park residents facing ever increasing higher rents. A rent stabilization ordinance is soon to be drafted"'much to the applause of the assembled residents.

“These people need our help. We want to keep them in the community. And we want to keep them safe. And we want to keep them off the streets,” said Vice-Mayor Donald Terry.

The night began with the Council hearing from Housing Manager Stefan Heisler who presented the research city staff had done on the topic which included interviews with Rancho Cordova Mobile Home Park residents and industry professionals along with rent stabilization data and park histories from around the region. From that data Heisler shared, it was demonstrated how some parks have been purchased by residents when they went up for sale. In one of those cases, the local City helped residents pay the upfront purchase cost through grants.

After Heisler’s presentation, residents from Mobile Country Club on Sunrise Boulevard voiced their concerns with the rent increases and fear of homelessness.

“The rent increases leave us feeling helpless for we have nowhere else to go that is affordable. Shall we join the homeless and add to that problem?” asked Susan Whipkey.

Helen Fredericks relayed the story of a neighbor who after rent and utility fees are paid is left with only $115 a month for food and required medicine (the woman is a recent Liver transplant patient). While mentioning residents who have already gone homeless, she countered the old adage of “it’s business not personal” with the statement “When you have worked your life and you suddenly are looking at yourself being homeless or dying because you can’t afford your medication it is very personal.” She called their situation tantamount to economic eviction.

Along with the “financial abuse”, a visibly exasperated Kathy Neal alleged the manager at Mobile Country Club was being emotionally abusive and uncooperative and barring access to amenities that in her and other residents’ eyes should be available.

While the speakers who attended the meeting were from Mobile Country Club, Council Member Linda Budge passed along similar rent woes from other locations.

While stating there wasn’t anything the Council could do about management issues, Vice-Mayor Terry had heard enough and demanded something be passed soon to stabilize rents and to aid in having the residents purchase the parks outright and set them up as co-ops.

He drew applause from the crowd by invoking the memory of Bob Van Cleef hoping to name the future ordinance after the recently departed man who had fought for his fellow mobile home park residents for years. “I hope he’s up there looking at and watching us and realizing what he worked so hard for; I think we’re really close to doing,” Terry emotionally stated.

He also expressed his dissatisfaction with the Mobile Home Park owners who evidently have never replied to any of the city overtures nor shown up at a City Council Meeting “Look at who has come in to see us and who has ignored us.”

The Council shared the bulk of the Vice Mayor’s feelings. Member Donald Terry had reservations about government trampling on the rights of the private sector as he felt in the past it can lead to dangerous consequences, but felt in this case, it was a special situation requiring their help.

After a pause, the Council turned their focus to potential projects and programs that could receive monies from the American Rescue Plan Act Funding Allocation (ARPA) aka the Covid-19 Stimulus Bill. $15,588,333 will be available through 2026.

After a presentation by Administrative Services Director Kim Juran Karageorgiou, the Council rated among their highest priorities as aid to healthcare, nonprofits, businesses, childcare, affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, accessible city-wide broadband, The Food Locker and the Chamber of Commerce (both who sent representatives to the Meeting) although many other areas are eligible.

Some of the Council questioned if monies for city employees could also be used for local front-line workers although city staff called such an endeavor “a logistical nightmare.”

The meeting ended with staff left to continue with work on the ARPA spending plan.

Financial Aid to Mobile Home Park owners would likely not be included.