Upper Lake mobile‑home residents urge supervisors to enact rent‑stabilization after Harmony Communities notice

Dozens of Meadow Pointe mobile‑home park residents told the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 23 they face sudden space‑rent increases and asked the board to complete a pending rent‑stabilization ordinance.

Residents said Harmony Communities, the park owner, recently mailed letters raising space rents and offering a $350 “credit account” that residents said will not prevent immediate hardship. Lisa Wiley, speaking for Meadow Pointe residents, described the board’s earlier draft ordinance as “beautiful” but said it has not yet been ratified and county residents had received notice their space rents would rise to $950 per month.

“Starting December 1, these people … are gonna have to pay something they can’t afford,” Wiley said. “Some of them make about $1,100 or possibly less on Social Security or SSI and who own their trailers … they’re now going to have most of their check going to a space rent.”

Other speakers described recent rent increases and said the park’s letters were inconsistent and confusing. Jeff Price, a Meadow Pointe resident, told supervisors the $350 credit described in Harmony’s letter would be placed in an account residents may not be able to access for years. “This is really a scandalous deal on the part of that company,” Price said.

Several residents and civic leaders asked the board to finish and adopt a mobile‑home park rent‑stabilization ordinance that supervisors described earlier this year as a draft. Supervisor EJ Crandall, who introduced the draft earlier and who read related proclamations on Sept. 23, did not put a new rent‑stabilization ordinance to a vote on Tuesday. Crandall said the county had a draft ordinance and a subcommittee working on it, and multiple residents urged the board to move “swiftly” to protect seniors and other Park residents.

Why it matters: Meadow Pointe residents said the proposed Harmony rent increases would push some long‑time county residents into homelessness and increase shelter and social‑service demand. Speakers said many park households are elderly or on fixed incomes, and they cited ongoing litigation involving Harmony Communities in other counties as evidence of the operator’s business practices. Residents asked the board to finalize the county’s draft ordinance so that space‑rent increases would be limited for owners of privately owned mobile homes.

What supervisors said and next steps: Supervisors did not vote on the ordinance at the Sept. 23 meeting. Several supervisors expressed concern about leaving residents and small businesses in regulatory limbo while staff finish drafting ordinance language. At least one supervisor said they want to explore narrowly scoped changes now (for example: water and odor protections and setback rules) rather than waiting for a longer environmental review process. The county has not announced a date to return the rent‑stabilization item for formal consideration.

Resident voices: “It’s unacceptable that Harmony … is gonna come up here to Lake County where your constituents live,” resident Kate Parankima said, listing Meadow Pointe residents she said would be immiserated by the increases. “It’s unethical. It’s immoral.”

Clarifying details: County staff did not take action Sept. 23 to block Harmony’s letter or arrests related to other code matters; residents said several individuals at Meadow Pointe have faced concurrent civil enforcement and criminal proceedings. The letter residents reported described a $350 account credit and an increased base rent stated as $950; multiple speakers said residents had already seen an earlier increase this year; many residents said they rely on Social Security and SSI and would be unable to absorb the increases.

Ending: Residents said they would continue to press supervisors for a completed ordinance and for interim tools that would limit sudden space‑rent increases while the county completes its drafting work.