Santa Paula residents urge council to schedule immediate workshops after 47% mobile-home rent increase application

Dozens of mobile-home homeowners told the Santa Paula City Council on Oct. 15 that the city must quickly schedule public workshops to fix loopholes in the city's mobile-home rent-stabilization ordinance after a new 47% rent increase application.

"I have over 80 letters here written by people, members of our community, residents, homeowners, who took time to write down these letters," said Daniel Mujevez, who identified himself as a resident of Mobile Estate. "These are families, widows, seniors, veterans, who have written down how this 47 rent increase would affect their life."

Why it matters: Residents said the repeated filings for large rent increases are possible because the ordinance contains procedural gaps. They asked the council not to intervene in the pending legal review but to move urgently on the ordinance changes it voted to pursue last month so workshops can produce workable revisions.

Speakers described mounting harm and a sense of urgency. "Every week that passes without the workshops being scheduled is another week that hundreds of homeowners remain in limbo under stress and unsure of their future," said Humberto Cantino, a long-time Mobile Estates homeowner. Maria Cancino told the council, "We're talking about seniors keeping medications to afford rent, kids losing sleep because their parents are stressed, and families wondering if they'll be forced to move away from the city."

Several speakers asked for formats beyond the typical three-minute public-comment period: inclusive, interpreted working sessions where residents, park owners and attorneys can exchange written proposals and work through solutions. "We have done our part. We have organized. We've documented. We've showed up," Mujevez said. "It's time for the city to act and follow through. Please schedule these workshops now."

What the city said: Director James Mason told council staff would reach out to community groups and nonprofits to conduct outreach and that staff aims to set a workshop timeline in November; he also said the Mobile Home Rent Review hearing for 400 Mobile Estates is being scheduled for early to mid-November. Council members acknowledged the public comments and pressed staff for concrete scheduling and outreach plans.

Next steps: Council and staff said they will coordinate on outreach and the scheduling of ordinance workshops; staff indicated the rent-review hearing for the park is expected in early to mid-November. The council did not take ordinance action during the meeting.