In a sports game, a time-out is a pause in play. Sometimes a referee calls a time-out to review a play on the field, but primarily time-outs are called by a coach or a player to allow a team to halt the game to develop a strategy of what to do next. In Santa Maria, WMA parkowners called a crucial time-out that put on hold stakeholder meetings to revisit the citywide model lease agreement — the negotiated alternative to a 2019 mobilehome park rent control threat. 

In 2021, the same group of residents spearheaded the rent control effort and attempted a buyer’s remorse campaign to do away with the model lease program and, instead, request the mayor introduce a rent control ordinance. While the mayor and council rebuffed calls for an ordinance, the council reluctantly voted to revisit the current model lease and called for stakeholder meetings to discuss how the program is working and explore changes proposed by the residents who think it is perfectly okay to renege on an eighteen-month-old agreement that took nearly two years to negotiate.

The stakeholder meetings began at the end of September 2022, with meetings expected to resume in early 2023. When AB 1035, the statewide mobilehome park rent control bill was introduced, parkowners requested city officials pause the meetings while the bill ran its legislative course — the time-out was granted. 

Recently, Assembly Bill 1035 became a two-year bill, so the time-out expired. As such, city staff requests the stakeholder meetings resume. Parkowners plan to meet with city officials at the end of June to discuss the next steps while fighting to preserve the status quo: keep the model lease agreement intact and protect against any new threat of a citywide mobilehome rent control ordinance. No more time-outs remain, but the solidarity and resolve of WMA and parkowners is strong. There is more to come, so stay tuned.

Jarryd Gonzales is WMA’s Regional Representative for Central / Southern California, and may be reached at jarryd@goodgroup.com.