Council passes mobile home ordinance

In a unanimous vote, the Sonoma City Council – after nearly sixteen months of drafts and re-drafts – passed, with minor revisions, a mobile home park conversion ordinance.
“Believe me,” said City Attorney Tom Curry, “I do not recall an ordinance in the last 35 years I’ve reviewed as much as this one.” Despite continued objections from mobile home park owner Preston Cook and a letter challenging the legality of the ordinance by Cook’s attorneys, Curry said he disagrees with their legal opinion and believes the ordinance is defensible.
Public comment was minimal. Sam DiGiacomo of Pueblo Serena mobile home park, urged the council to pass the ordinance. Rancho De Sonoma resident Nancy Courtney pointed out that as residents, hardly any are going to be able to afford this conversion. Preston Cook said, as he has repeatedly before the council, that he opposes the draft ordinance and the city’s efforts to prohibit his exercising his rights under state law. Dean Moser, representing Pueblo Serena, sought to clarify the issue of the lifetime lease. “The homeowner should be a resident,” he said. “It should be a resident homeowner, and that homeowner should be a resident for that period.” He said he wanted the council to understand that the lifetime lease applies to a homeowner who can then rent that property.
Mayor Joanne Sanders questioned whether subletting a mobile home would not violate the spirit of rent control. Councilmember Steve Barbose suggested a hypothetical case of an elderly homeowner who has a lease for life. “Let’s say that person goes to a rest home. Shouldn’t they be able to rent this thing out for the duration of their life to help them get by?” Councilmember Sebastiani said, “I don’t know where windfall profits became that naughty of a thing. In case of medical costs, this could be an opportunity.” Sanders agreed, “I’m certainly not opposed to that.” Curry explained, “the reason we drafted it that way, we were making an assumption that this type of housing, whether owned or rented, provided a source of housing for the community.” Councilmember Stanley Cohen said, “Once this is converted, it’s really out of our hands.”
Staff made two editorial changes to the draft for additional clarity. It will be given a second reading at the Sept. 17 council meeting.