California MHP News
Mobile Home Owner News – Feb 2018
Resident curated mobile home owners news and information for residents of Mobile Home Parks owned by Kort & Scott (KS) companies. The MHPHOA also provides news coverage for Mobile Home Parks not owned by KS companies.
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RE: BoaVida Communities, Abraham Arrigotti, Drita Bronkey
Tue, Feb 27, 2018 – Residents from the Wagon Wheel and Valley Oaks mobile home parks are mobilizing to address the Willits City Council tonight, asking city officials to adopt a rent stabilization ordinance after an out of the area property management company’s acquisition of the properties led to rent increases and reported intimidation tactics against the elderly and low income tenants last summer.
A mediation meeting with Cheryl Abney, a 10-year resident at Wagon Wheel, Willits Senior Center Outreach Coordinator Priscilla Tarver, Vice Mayor Saprina Rodriguez, interim City Manager Bob Perrault and BoaVida park management representatives Abe Arrigotti and Ben Smith held last Wednesday at City Hall did not result in a resolution according to Perrault.
Abney said BoaVida Communities purchased three mobile home parks in the area last year and the new property management subsequently fired the on-site management at Wagon Wheel, then failed to hire a new manager, violating state law. According to Abney, that is when intimidation tactics by BoaVida’s Drita Bronkey and other members of the new management team began including increased inspections, threatening tenants for various reasons and harassing them if they failed to sign long-term lease agreements.
According to a staff report following the mediation meeting prepared by Perrault, residents were impacted by a $60 rent increase effective Nov 1, 2017 and by the discontinuation of a $50 discount previously provided, the combined adjustment totaling $110.
Perrault wrote in a report to the council that according to the property management there are now 68 long-term leases in place that would exempt those spaces from rent stabilization. The remaining 45 spaces fall under short-term leases of up to 12 months and could fall under a rent stabilization program, should the council want to initiate one.
Previous News Coverage
- 2017-12-16 – Willits Mobile Home Park Residents Ask Council to Help Stave Off Rent Increases
- 2017-10-15 – Cascade Corporate Management and BoaVida Communities
- 2017-10-06 – Mobile Home Park Residents Continue to Fight for their Rights
- 2017-09-15 – Abraham Arrigotti and Drita Bronkey – Now Representing BoaVida Communities
- 2017-08-15 – Mobile Home Park Residents Get Advice on the Law
- 2017-07-13 – Mobile Home Park Residents Shaken by New Management Demands
Fri, Feb 23, 2018 – Ana Hayes moved into her home at the Starlight Mobile Home Park in El Cajon in 1969. It’s where she raised her three children, and it’s where she and her husband still live.
Hers is one of the 457 mobile homes that sits above a toxic groundwater plume that residents first learned about in October 2016, though state officials and the company responsible for the contamination knew about it in the late 1980s.
So far, 151 homes in the Starlight, Greenfield and Villa Cajon mobile home parks have been tested, and 63 more are expected to be tested this year.
Lawsuits Filed Against Ametek
The lawsuits allege that Ametek “knowingly, willfully and intentionally failed” to stop the contamination from spreading and possibly affecting nearby homes and businesses. Fiske told inewsource one of the primary goals of the lawsuits is to provide medical monitoring for the people living and working on the plume who may have been exposed to TCE.
Last year, Ametek asked the court to hold the owners of the mobile home parks liable along with Ametek. The company said the owners knew about the contamination and never told the residents. The judge ruled against Ametek.
Note: Starlight Mobile Home Park and Greenfield Mobile Home Estates are owned by Kort & Scott Financial Group DBAs and managed by Sierra Corporate Management (SCM).
Previous News Coverage
- 2017-06-12 – Every Home Located on Toxic Plume in El Cajon Should be Tested
- 2016-12-19 – Starlight Mobile Home Park – El Cajon TCE Contamination Update
- 2016-11-17 – Attorney Erin Brockovich to Investigate Toxic Plume in El Cajon
- 2016-10-31 – Mobile Homes in Starlight Mobile Home Park to be Tested
- 2016-10-23 – Toxic Plume in El Cajon Reaches Beneath Kort & Scott Mobile Homes
Los Angeles County to Pursue Rent Control at Mobile Home Parks
Tue, Feb 13, 2018 – Today, the Board of Supervisors voted to approve a motion authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn and coauthored by Supervisor Sheila Kuehl instructing the County to draft a rent control ordinance for mobile home parks in unincorporated LA County.
In unincorporated Los Angeles County, there are 86 mobile home parks and a total of 8,503 mobile home units. 1,381 of these units are in the Fourth District.
Note: The MHPHOA have received a number of resident comments regarding this Press Release. Please be aware that this proposed ordinance ONLY applies to the seventy-six (76) unincorporated communities in Los Angeles County, California.
Mobile Home Parks in Los Angeles County
According to HCD CASAS 2, there are 596 mobile home parks in Los Angeles County representing 47,976 mobile home spaces. The Press Release states “In unincorporated Los Angeles County, there are 86 mobile home parks and a total of 8,503 mobile home units.” 47,976 - 8,503 = 39,473 mobile home units (82%) who won't have the protections of a rent control ordinance for mobile home parks. Our numbers do not include the 3,217 RV Lots contained in those 596 mobile home parks.
Based on our observations, it is the 82% of mobile home units on "incorporated land" where most of the unfair rent increase challenges are present.
- Wikipedia: List of 76 Unincorporated Communities in Los Angeles County, California
- Wikipedia: List of 88 Incorporated Cities in Los Angeles County, California
What is an Unincorporated Area of Los Angeles County?
There are 88 incorporated cities within Los Angeles County, each with its own city council. The areas that are not part of these cities are considered to be unincorporated County territory. More than 65 percent of Los Angeles County is unincorporated. For the 1 million people living in these areas, the Board of Supervisors and County Departments provide the municipal services.
Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning
Unincorporated/Incorporated Cities in Los Angeles County
| # | Unincorporated Communities | Incorporated Cities |
|---|---|---|
| Acton/Mint Canyon | Agoura Hills | |
| Altadena | Alhambra | |
| Avocado Heights | Arcadia | |
| Bandini Islands | Artesia | |
| Calabasas | Avalon | |
| Castaic/Val Dere | Azusa | |
| Channel Islands | Baldwin Park | |
| Charter Oak Islands | Bell | |
| City Terrace | Bell Gardens | |
| Covina Islands | Bellflower | |
| Del Aire | Beverly Hills | |
| East Antelope Valley | Bradbury | |
| East Azusa Islands | Burbank | |
| East Canyon Country | Calabasas | |
| East Carson | Carson | |
| East La Mirada | Cerritos | |
| East Los Angeles | Claremont | |
| East Malibu Hills | Commerce | |
| East Pasadena | Compton | |
| East Rancho Dominguez | Covina | |
| East San Gabriel | Cudahy | |
| Eastmont | Culver City | |
| Florence | Diamond Bar | |
| Glendora Islands | Downey | |
| Graham | Duarte | |
| Hacienda Heights | El Monte | |
| La Crescenta/Montrose | El Segundo | |
| La Rambla | Gardena | |
| Ladera Heights | Glendale | |
| Lennox | Glendora | |
| Litterock/Pearblossom | Hawaiian Gardens | |
| Long Beach Islands | Hawthorne | |
| Lynwood Islands | Hermosa Beach | |
| Marina Del Rey | Hidden Hills | |
| North Claremont | Huntington Park | |
| North El Monte Islands | Industry | |
| Northeast San Dimas | Inglewood | |
| Northeast Whittier | Irwindale | |
| Northwest Whittier | La Cañada Flintridge | |
| Norwalk/Cerritos Islands | La Habra Heights | |
| Oat Mountain | La Mirada | |
| Quartz Hill | La Puente | |
| Rowland Heights | La Verne | |
| San Gabriel Mountains | Lakewood | |
| San Pasqual | Lancaster | |
| Sawtelle VA Center | Lawndale | |
| South Antelope Valley | Lomita | |
| South Monrovia Islands | Long Beach | |
| South San Gabriel | Los Angeles | |
| South San Jose Hills | Lynwood | |
| South Whittier | Malibu | |
| Sunshine Acres | Manhattan Beach | |
| Topanga Canyon | Maywood | |
| Triunfo Canyon | Monrovia | |
| Universal City | Montebello | |
| Valinda | Monterey Park | |
| View Park/Windsor Hills | Norwalk | |
| Walnut Park | Palmdale | |
| West Alondra Park | Palos Verdes Estates | |
| West Antelope Valley | Paramount | |
| West Arcadia Islands | Pasadena | |
| West Canyon Country | Pico Rivera | |
| West Carson | Pomona | |
| West Chatsworth | Rancho Palos Verdes | |
| West Malibu Islands | Redondo Beach | |
| West Pomona Islands | Rolling Hills | |
| West Puente Valley | Rolling Hills Estates | |
| West Rancho Dominguez | Rosemead | |
| West Santa Clarita Valley | San Dimas | |
| West Whittier | San Fernando | |
| Westfield | San Gabriel | |
| Westmont | San Marino | |
| Whittier Narrows | Santa Clarita | |
| Willowbrook | Santa Fe Springs | |
| Santa Monica | ||
| Sierra Madre | ||
| Signal Hill | ||
| South El Monte | ||
| South Gate | ||
| South Pasadena | ||
| Temple City | ||
| Torrance | ||
| Vernon | ||
| Walnut | ||
| West Covina | ||
| West Hollywood | ||
| Westlake Village | ||
| Whittier |
Stop Predatory Park Owners
MHP News Resources
Kort & Scott Pay $57,000,000
Largest Mobile Home Park Settlement Ever
Fri, Nov 22, 2019 – Kabateck LLP attorneys representing hundreds of low-income mobile home residents in Long Beach, California secured a nearly $57 million settlement, which is the largest settlement ever involving a mobile home park.
MRL Protection Program
Sometimes, in mobilehome parks, disputes can arise between mobilehome/manufactured homeowners and park management. To help resolve some of these disputes, California created the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Program (MRLPP) through the Mobilehome Residency Law Protection Act of 2018, Assembly Bill 3066 (Chapter 774, Statutes of 2018).
Who Can Submit a Complaint?
Must be a mobilehome / manufactured homeowner residing in a permitted mobilehome park.
What Types of Complaints can be Submitted for Consideration?
Complaints for issues within mobilehome parks related to Mobilehome Residency Law violations (California Civil Code). Common violations include illegal grounds for eviction, failure to provide proper notice of rent increases, or no written rental agreement between the park and mobilehome owner.
How do I submit my complaint?
Complaints must be submitted to HCD. HCD provides assistance to help resolve and coordinate resolution of the most severe alleged violations of the Mobilehome Residency Law. Visit the How to Submit a Complaint page for details on ways to submit your complaint to HCD.