Council introduces ordinance tightening mobile‑home rent increases, directs RHC input on implementation and budgets a fee reduction

Mountain View’s City Council on March 13 introduced an ordinance to amend the city’s Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Ordinance (MHRSO), changing the allowed annual adjustment and directing staff on fee reductions and the appeals process.

At first reading councilmembers approved staff’s recommended changes to the ordinance language that will: replace the current annual adjustment (100% of the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers, CPI‑U, with a 2% floor and 5% ceiling) with an adjustment equal to 60% of CPI‑U, remove the floor, and set a 3% ceiling. Housing Director Wayne Chen and Rent Stabilization Manager Anki Van Dersing presented the draft amendments; staff said the amendments would return for second reading on March 25 and, if adopted, would take effect 30 days after that final adoption.

Council discussion addressed two implementation issues raised during outreach: (1) a substantial reduction in the MHRSO administrative fee charged annually to mobile‑home park owners; and (2) the process for administering mobile‑home change‑of‑ownership replacement (MNOI) reviews and any associated appeals. Staff reported that the council’s prior direction (January 24) had already embedded a reduction in the MHRSO fee — a $150,000 reduction to be handled through the budget process — equivalent to a 50% or similar decrease for the program budget. City Manager McCarthy confirmed the $150,000 reduction would be included in the preliminary recommended budget that staff will bring to council.

Councilmembers also asked how the MNOI and any procedural appeals would be handled. Staff’s initial implementation plan had delegated regulatory implementation details to the Rental Housing Committee (RHC), the advisory body charged with administering the ordinance. Councilmember Clark and other members asked to preserve council oversight: they asked that the RHC provide recommendations on the MNOI and appeals process, but that the council retain authority to make the final adoption of any implementing regulations or appeals procedures. City Attorney Jennifer Logue explained that the council could direct staff to obtain RHC input and then adopt final regulations by resolution.

Public comment from mobile‑home residents emphasized urgency and the importance of codifying the new adjustment limit, noting past rent increases had caused hardship; several speakers described recent power outages and support for the ordinance changes. After a motion by Vice Mayor Ramos — with the mover and seconder accepting a friendly amendment directing that RHC input be returned to council for final action and acknowledging the fee reduction included in the budget process — the council voted to introduce the ordinance and schedule a second reading for March 25.

Why it matters: The amendments change the legal formula that caps annual rent increases for mobile‑home residents, reducing the rate of allowable increases and thereby increasing rent predictability for a population that includes seniors and residents on fixed incomes. The council also directed a 50% fee reduction to be implemented through the city’s budget and clarified that the council will be the final decision maker on how MNOI and appeals processes are implemented.

What comes next: The ordinance will return for second reading on March 25; staff will incorporate RHC feedback on the MNOI/appeals process and the $150,000 fee reduction will be reflected in the preliminary budget documents.