Mobile-home residents urge Santa Maria to revive rent-stabilization talks, block senior-park conversions

Several mobile-home residents told the Santa Maria City Council that the city’s existing model lease program has failed to protect homeowner equity and urged the council to bring rent-stabilization back to the agenda.

Gary Hall, who identified himself as a resident of Rancho Buena Vista Mobile Estates and representing the North Santa Barbara County Manufactured Homeowners Team, said the city has promised changes for years without results. “We’ve been making this case with the city council for rent stabilization for 7 years,” Hall said. He added that a motion two and a half years ago aimed at improving or replacing the 2020 model lease produced an outreach effort “without any evidence of mobile home resident benefit.”

Hall told the council that residents want protections comparable to nearby cities and counties. “Those jurisdictions listened to their residents and provided the rent stabilization protection they deserved,” he said, naming Lompoc, Goleta, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, Oxnard, Santa Paula, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara as examples the city could follow.

Hall also asked the council to act to prevent senior mobile-home parks from converting to all-age parks, citing an attempted conversion at Del Cielo Senior mobile-home park and noting that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors intervened on that case. “It’s time for the city of Santa Maria to take up similar action,” he said.

On a related point, Hall expressed concern about stalled contract talks between the city and the firefighters’ union and asked the council to “reopen dialogue with the firefighters and return to the negotiations table.” He said continued delay “is putting public safety at unnecessary risk.”

Discussion versus action: Speakers asked the council to place rent stabilization and senior-park protections back on a future agenda; the transcript shows requests and public comment but records no council vote or direction on those specific demands during this meeting.

Why it matters: Mobile-home communities in Santa Maria house lower-income and older residents who can face steep costs if parks are converted or rules change. Residents said the city’s current model lease and enforcement agreement have not delivered the protections they sought.

Clarifying details from public comment: Hall said the city passed a motion about revising the 2020 model lease two and a half years ago but that promised improvements were not implemented; he described the model lease enforcement agreement as approved “5 years” ago and said requested improvements “were ignored.” The transcript does not specify the exact legal mechanism or ordinance that would implement rent stabilization, nor does it record any staff report or proposed ordinance text at this meeting.

Next steps noted in the meeting: Hall requested the council place the matter on a future agenda; there was no recorded action, motion, or vote on rent stabilization or senior-park conversion protections in the transcript.