Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
After fires, Allen’s SB 749 would give mobile‑home residents first chance to buy parks and clarifies post‑disaster rights
Loading...
Summary
Following the Palisades fires, Sen. Josh Allen proposed SB 749 to create a 12‑month notice and a structured sale process so resident organizations and qualified entities may offer to purchase mobile‑home parks after disaster, and to clarify homeowners’ notice and rights when homes are destroyed.
Sen. Josh Allen introduced SB 749 after recent wildfires destroyed thousands of homes and large portions of mobile‑home parks in Los Angeles County. He said the bill adapts state preservation notice law (used historically for subsidized housing) to mobile‑home parks, establishing a 12‑month notice period to residents, HCD and local public entities if a park owner intends to close or change use after a disaster.
Supporters framed the bill as a tool to preserve one of the nation’s largest sources of unsubsidized affordable homeownership. John Brown, co‑chair of the Palisades Bowl Community Partnership, described residents’ struggle to obtain access to their properties after the fires, including the inability to retrieve personal items and human remains. Brown said owners have signalled intent to change use and that residents need a clear legal pathway to preservation. Karen Conz of Legal Services of Northern California told the committee her team has experience preserving housing after disasters and said mobile‑home residents are uniquely vulnerable because their equity is tied to the lot and parks can be converted by owners.
Opponents, including the Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association (WMA) and the California Mobile Home Park Owners Alliance, called the bill an unconstitutional taking and warned it would force owners to sell at state‑directed prices or to nonprofit entities chosen by the state. The owners’ representatives said some destroyed homes are high‑value second homes in coastal areas and that mandating sale to pre‑qualified entities would deprive owners of full value. Park owners said they are already offering assistance and that the bill’s mandatory purchase process and valuation language would invite years of litigation.
Author Sen. Allen said the bill’s intent is to preserve affordable park housing after disaster and to give residents the best chance to return to the communities they helped build. He told the committee the bill includes independent appraisal mechanisms and is designed to allow fair compensation while protecting vulnerable homeowners. The committee voted SB 749 out to the Judiciary Committee on a roll call vote with recorded opposition; the author and stakeholders indicated they will continue to refine valuation and notice language.
