SB 869 Will Improve Health and Safety of Park Residents and Communities
SACRAMENTO – Continuing her work as chair of the Senate Select Committee on Manufactured Home Communities to improve the health and safety of mobilehome communities across California, Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) Monday introduced legislation requiring mobilehome park managers to be trained and certified on mobilehome rules and regulations of managing a mobilehome park and manufactured home communities.
The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), in consultation with the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), would be responsible for developing the training and enforcing the certification requirements.
Sponsored by the Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners League, SB 869 would require any person, or person under contract, who is responsible for managing a mobilehome park to complete 18 hours per year of training, including an annual end of year online examination. The training will be in an online format developed in consultation with DCA. Specifically, the training would include Mobilehome Residency Law requirements, Title 25 of the California Code of Regulations, rights and responsibilities of homeowners and management, emergency procedures, communication with homeowners, mobilehome titling and registration, and applicable Vehicle Code provisions. The measure would also require a process for background checks.
A Certificate of Completion would be issued once the person has met all training requirements. The certificate must then be posted visibly and be available for inspection at the mobilehome park. If the mobilehome park management is out of compliance with these requirements, HCD would then have the authority to suspend the management’s permit to operate.
“It is unacceptable that California currently has no requirements for the training or education of mobilehome park managers,” Senator Leyva said. “SB 869 will ensure that managers—who are typically responsible for the health and safety of hundreds of residents at their mobilehome parks—know and understand the Mobilehome Residency Law and other related laws and regulations. It is critical that mobilehome park managers are properly trained and certified to prevent instances that have already happened, such as discrimination, unlawful evictions, improper fee assessments, and poor park maintenance.”
The Manufactured Housing Metropolitan Opportunity Profile: Data Snapshot (December 2017) indicates that there are 519,972 mobilehomes and manufactured homes in California accounting for 3.8% of the total housing stock and which accounts for roughly 1.5 million residents in the state. Nearly half (47%) of these homes are affordable to very-low income households, compared to just 18% of the state’s overall housing stock. Mobilehomes and manufactured homes are a significant source of affordable housing in a state with a desperate need for housing in this affordability range.
Other states, such as Oregon and Nevada, already mandate that mobilehome park management undergo training and licensing to ensure the health and safety of residents living in mobilehome parks.
SB 869 will be eligible to be considered in Senate policy committee(s) later this spring
