Last month, WMA and our co-plaintiff — a local park­owner in Sonoma County — scored a major legal victory in a case we filed last December. A Sacramento County Superior Court judge allowed our lawsuit against Assembly Bill 2782 — legislation that would destroy long-term leases — to move forward to trial. 

The State of California attempted to have the case thrown out of court by filing a demurrer, but the judge ruled: “the court finds that the FAC (First Amended Complaint) sufficiently alleges a substantial impairment of a contractual relationship.” 

On August 31, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2782 into law. This codified Civil Code Section 798.17 and spelled the beginning of the end of our industry’s decades-old, long-term lease exemption from local rent control. Starting on January 1, 2025, all mobilehome park long-term leases will become subject to current and future rent control ordinances. Our lawsuit asserts that this law violates the Contracts and Due Process Clauses of the U.S. Constitution and the California Constitution.

This victory is just the beginning — we have a long (and expensive) legal battle ahead of us, as we prepare for trial. Please consider making a contribution, so we can overturn Assembly Bill 2782 and save long-term leases from rent control.  Checks should be made out to CSPR with “Assembly Bill 2782 Lawsuit” written on the memo line and mailed to WMA, 455 Capitol Mall, Suite 800, Sacramento, CA 95814.

Doug Johnson is WMA’s Executive Director. He can be reached at 916.448.7002, extension, 4025 doug@wma.org.