Torrance City Council Votes Against Mobile Home Rent Stabilization

Skyline Mobile Home Park residents filled the Torrance city council chamber on Tuesday following a six-month fight against mobile home rent increase. Despite several pleas from residents to adopt a mobile home rent stabilization ordinance, the council ultimately declined, siding with a proposal created by the park's primary owner, John Saunders.

Many of the homeowners at 55-and-older Skyline Mobile Home Park live on retirement and fixed incomes. On top of rent, most are responsible for the property taxes and repairs of their units. The majority of residents say rent hikes annually, in addition to these costs, are not sustainable.

At a community meeting presented by the park's owners at Civic Center Library, on August 29, primary owner John Saunders said that the park is operating at a $100,000 loss due to tax increases. He said the property's taxes went from $165,702.62 annually to $830,587.20, a $209 tax increase per space.

To cover this new cost, the owners of the park imposed an 8.1% increase on rentinn December 31, 2021. Rent is expected to increase by at least 15.9% in total this year, according to Torrance Community Development Director Michelle G. Ramirez.

The rent stabilization ordinance, drafted by Ramirez, would have limited rent increases at mobile home parks in Torrance to 10%, occurring only once annually. These measures are modeled after Assembly Bill 1482, which also has a 10% cap on rental properties, but excludes mobile homes.

Saunders proposed a compromise with the park's residents during the community meeting last month. He would consider appealing the property tax increase at the county, and in the meantime would start a subsidy program. The program, though, would only affect the rent of 13 inhabitants at the 265 lots at the park.

Council members Mike Griffiths and Jon Kaji said the issue of rent stabilization is more suited for the county to solve, citing the spike in property tax as the cause for the entire dilemma.

Councilmember Aurelio Mattucci also said the problem is not for the city to solve. "Expenses went up for everyone. And when I see a tax bill of $830,587.20 Going to the LA ty, the only people here truly making money is LA County. Those are the people you should be talking to. Those are the people who should be asking for rent subsidies," said Mattucci.

"Are we going to be the governing body that's going to check on every lease thaween a landlord and a tenant? I don't think so, I don't want to be that body," he said.

Ultimately, six city councilmembers voted to give Saunders 60 days to implement his proposal, and denied the rent stabilization ordinance for now. Councilmember Bridgette Lewis, who joined the council last month, abstained due to the complexity of the ordinance and lack of time to research it in depth.

If there is no progress after 60 days, the city council will re-address the issue.

The public hearing portion of the meeting lasted over an hour as a long line of residents read their testimonies before the council. Some waved signs that read "HELP US," "Don't Make Us Homeless," and "Skyline Mobile Home Park: We Are Seniors Save Our Homes" during the meeting.

101-year-old Skyline Mobile home Park resident Robert H. Lytle wrote a letter, read by his caregiver, Maria Black. "We find ourselves in dire straits, so we're pleading with this council to pass this very important rent stabilization ordinance," said Lytle. "We as your constituents are asking you to do the job we voted you in to do." Lytle has lived in Skyline Mobile Home Park since 1967.

Like many other residents, when Sally Ausbourne realized the city council would not adopt the ordinance she felt betrayed. "I know nothing is going to change until there is a law passed. The city didn't help us and I don't know who will," she said. "They're not hearing us. There are so many of us that fear being on the street."