ANAHEIM : New Council Votes for Special Election

The new City Council on Tuesday agreed to hold a special election in March to let voters decide if rent control will be established in the city’s mobile home parks, an issue that has been brewing for three years.

In its first meeting with new Councilman Bob Simpson, the council voted 5 to 0 to put the issue before voters in what is estimated to be a costly $100,000 special election.

“I’m just absolutely relieved to finally get it on the ballot, which is what we’ve been trying to do for a very long time,” said Clarice Jackson, president of the group proposing the ordinance. “I was stunned by the 5-0 vote when (Councilman Irv) Pickler introduced it. I almost lost my false teeth.”

Since rent control proponents had collected more than the 14,760 signatures required to show support for a new ordinance, the council was left with two choices--either agreeing to the election or immediately enacting the ordinance. On election night, the council shelved the issue for further study, postponing the decision until after elections.

In 1987, many of the same proponents had gathered signatures of support for a similar initiative, but the attempt was stopped when the petitions used to collect names were declared invalid by the city.

“It’s not our battle,” Councilman William D. Ehrle said. “The council should stay out of it and let the people decide this issue.”

The initiative would reduce current park rents to their 1988 levels and limit future annual increases to 8% of the existing rent or 75% of the yearly federal consumer price index, whichever is less.

The city attorney has estimated that the ordinance will cost the city $50,000 in one-time start-up expenses and $343,000 annually to administer it.

In addition, legal challenges to the new city law are estimated to be from $50,000 to $250,000.

Some of those costs may be defrayed by a new annual registration fee park owners and renters will pay. The city attorney said it is difficult to estimate if those fees would offset potential costs to the city.

The council still has until Dec. 7 to decide to include 13 other measures on the special-election ballot that either had been rejected by voters on Nov. 6 or were left off the ballot for space considerations.

One measure would triple council members’ salaries and increase the mayor’s by 50%.

The other measures are mostly technical alterations of the city charter to bring the city into accordance with changes in the state law.