The topic of rent control returned to Butte County this year. WMA was successful last year at stopping a push for rent control at the county level. After that failed effort, resident activists set their sights on the part of the county with the strongest likelihood of passing an ordinance: the City of Chico.

What the activists needed was an excuse. Their wish became true when new owners of one particular park made the strategic error of trying to raise rents well above the norm for the community. WMA stepped in, acted as mediator between city leadership and park ownership, and the issue was quickly resolved within 72 hours.

The problem ultimately created a better line of communication between park management, WMA, and city staff, but it also gave the activists the window they needed to push for an ordinance. This happened several months ago. In order not to appear insensitive, city councilmembers voted to request a staff report on the subject. 

The issue quickly became emotional and became a rally cry for months for grassroot activists in the region looking for short- term energy for their movement. Similarly to last year, when the county looked at rent control, political candidates for local office used this issue to divide the community, targeting our industry in their political mailers and hurling insults and false accusations at parkowners and operators. 

The topic came back to the city council through  a powerpoint presentation by independent consultants, analyzing the pros and cons of rent stabilization, and presenting a path forward for the city if it decided to move forward with an ordinance.

WMA was present in the room, along with a few parkowners who spoke passionately about their opposition to rent control. Despite protests from a dozen angry residents, the majority of councilmembers seemed to dismiss the idea of an ordinance, siding for the most part with the points made by WMA and parkowners. 

One councilmember in particular had taken this rent control effort as a personal mission. He worked behind the scenes to organize residents and give them talking points to use during council meetings. In a prior hearing, he declared that Chico “doesn’t want this kind of investment in our city” when discussing mobilehome park ownership. Fortunately, the rest of the council followed the recommendations of WMA and rejected rent control by a vote of 4-2, with one member absent.

It’s important to keep rent control out of Butte County because a lot of counties in the region look to Butte for leadership on public policy. If rent control is passed in Butte County, other counties in the North State would look more favorably on the policy and may consider their own ordinances. For now, we have pushed this effort back, but we will remain vigilant as it’s sure to return.

Saulo Londoño is WMA’s Regional Representative for the Bay Area – Northern California. He can be reached at saulo@wma.org.