THOUSAND OAKS : Council Extends Rent-Control Law

To the delight of mobile home owners, Thousand Oaks council members have agreed to extend a rent-control ordinance through the fall of 1999, thereby protecting hundreds of senior citizens from skyrocketing fees.

The rent-control ordinance, originally adopted in 1980, sets a formula limiting rent increases at mobile home parks to a percentage less than annual inflation as defined by the consumer price index.

With rents approaching $500 a month in some parks, mobile home residents implored council members to hold the line.

“This is not a matter of just dollars and cents,” mobile home resident Ed Conway said. “I beg you people to consider the human impact.”

But park owners asked the council to rethink the price controls, noting that their water and utility costs have soared in recent years. They also warned that they might have to defer improvements at the mobile home parks unless the rent-control law changes.

“In the long run, if you want these parks to be well-maintained and stay part of your affordable housing stock,” park landlords must be allowed more freedom, said Bill Schweinfurth, who owns Vallecito Mobile Estates in Newbury Park.

But council members rejected the landlords’ arguments, to the applause and cheers of about 125 senior citizens in the audience. The council voted 4 to 0, with Councilwoman Judy Lazar absent, to extend the rent-control law for another five years.