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Residents and Mobile-home Owners Clash at Paramount Council Meeting as Calls for Rent Limits Grow
Summary
Dozens of residents, mobile-home park managers and owners used the public-comment period to press the City Council on mobile-home rent increases. Owners described voluntary assistance programs and argued rent control is unnecessary; residents urged immediate rent stabilization or a temporary freeze and said harassment and displacement are real threats.
Dozens of residents and park owners filled public comment at the Paramount City Council meeting on Dec. 17 to press for action on sharp rent increases and alleged harassment in several mobile-home parks.
The dispute centered on whether the city should pursue rent-stabilization measures. Residents including Jose Angel Garcia and Maribel Hernandez urged the council to pass protections now, with Garcia saying he had brought “about a thousand” petition signatures and asking the council to enact a temporary rent freeze beginning Jan. 1 until a permanent solution is reached. Hernandez described tenants who have been harassed and said rent increases were causing severe stress and risk of homelessness.
Park owners and managers, including Jared Gonzales of the Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association and Greg O'Hagan of Americana Mobile Home Park, told the council that owners already offer rental-assistance programs and voluntary credits. O'Hagan said his community has provided an average annual rent increase of 2.99% over seven years and contributes tens of thousands of dollars in owner-funded credits to residents.
"This isn't a grassroots thing for residents," said O'Hagan, attributing organizing to outside groups and urging that stakeholders—owners, residents and the city—work together rather than pursue rent control.
Council members and staff acknowledged the intensity of the testimony and said a council subcommittee and staff have been meeting with residents and management. Mayor Delgadillo had earlier noted staff and a council subcommittee are “actively working to provide the city council with a thorough consideration of policy options and solutions” and that forming a special committee to study the matter was under consideration.
Why it matters: Residents say immediate protections are needed to prevent displacement and family separations; owners warn that strict rent caps can reduce funds for maintenance and security upgrades. The council faces competing claims of urgent tenant need and operational constraints for park owners.
Next steps: The council did not take immediate legislative action at the meeting; staff said an ad hoc committee and further meetings will continue. Several speakers asked the council to accelerate any ordinance work and to report back quickly.
Sources: Public-comment statements and staff updates read into the record at the Dec. 17 council meeting by speakers recorded as Jose Angel Garcia, Maribel Hernandez, Greg O'Hagan, Jared Gonzales, Katie Morris and others.
