Mobile-home park attorney offers 60-day grace period

The attorney for Rancho de Sonoma mobile-home park offered a 60-day grace period to the Sonoma City Council at its meeting on Wednesday evening regarding the conversion-to-resident-ownership moratorium that was set to expire Friday.
On June 6 the council adopted a 45-day moratorium prohibiting any permit or approval for the conversion of mobile-home parks to resident ownership within the City of Sonoma – allowing city attorney Thomas Curry an opportunity to identify, study the issues at the local level, and draft an ordinance for council consideration.
Curry told the council on Wednesday evening that he has not yet drafted an ordinance that he feels he could comfortably recommend that would permit the council the maximum amount of discretion legally allowed in so addressing the concerns that have been raised regarding the mobile-home conversion issue.
However, Curry did recommend that the council: (1) receive more public comment, (2) give public notice of a hearing to consider extending the interim ordinance, and (3) continuing meeting with affected parties to develop a concrete ordinance proposal for council consideration.
Upon Curry’s recommendation of public comment – residents of Rancho de Sonoma took to the lectern with demands that the council extend the moratorium without public notice and to do it immediately.
Mayor Stanley Cohen explained to the residents that if he could extend the moratorium without giving public notice, he would, and although the council can over-ride the recommendation of the city attorney – the council was not going to do that.
Park owner Preston Cook, – having listened to himself being called, among other things, a “vulture capitalist” who was trying to side-step rent control contended that he was being fair and honest with the residents and the life-span of the park is nearing its end. He has offered a lifetime lease and purchase program that he says residents ignored.
“I’m continuing a rent control more favorable to the residents than the council or state offers,” Cook said.
So councilman Steve Barbose expressed the opinion that if Cook was being so fair and honest, then why not guarantee the residents he will take no conversion moves whatsoever between the time the moratorium expires Friday and the public hearing can be properly noticed?
At the suggestion of Barbose, Sue Loftin, attorney for Cook, instantly offered a 60-day grace period to the residents until the council meets again in late August.