Residents of 400 Mobile Home Park urge city to deny 45% rent increase, push for wider rent-control

Three residents of the 400 Mobile Home Park urged the Santa Paula City Council during public comment to deny a property owner’s request to raise space rents by 45 percent.

Trino Lopez, a board member of the 400 Mobile Home Park Association, told the council that 164 units at the park were affected and described the increase as “a type of disease the entire body of Santa Paula should work together to expel.” He asked the council to reject the owner’s request and to prioritize expanding rent control citywide.

Tiffany Orr, a lifelong Santa Paula resident and mobile-home park tenant, described living on a fixed income and said a 45 percent increase would “surely impact” her household. She noted that residents are responsible for upkeep of their lots and the park’s common areas, and asked the council to deny the request by the owner identified in public comment as James Mason, to side with tenants on any appeal, and to consider lowering the mobile-home rent increase cap to 3 percent.

Victor Partida, who said he has lived in the park for 19 years, echoed those requests and framed affordable housing as central to the city’s quality of life. He asked the council to support tenants on appeal and to work with residents on expanding rent-control protections, improving local jobs, streets and lighting, emergency response, and youth programs.

Speakers told the council the rent-control commission will consider the increase at an upcoming hearing and that an owner appeal could bring the matter before the City Council. No formal council action on this specific rent request was recorded during the open-session portion of this meeting.

The council did not vote on the rent increase at the April 14 meeting; public commenters asked council members to act if the request is later appealed.