Palm Springs View Estates

Palm Springs View Estates		deserthomefront.com
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	--Published News Items and Articles ☼ October 28, 2007. On October 12, 2007, the governor vetoed Assembly Bill 1542 that would have put local control of mobile home park conversions where it should be, along with the other subdivisions controlled by local communities. -see governor's letter and GSMOL response- This was a hard-fought battle between park residents and park owners through the state legislature. One of the governor's reasons for his veto was the subject of rent control as stated in his letter: "While the bill’s intent is to preserve low-income housing, it also extends rent control in certain circumstances to mobilehome owners in much of the state no matter what their income level. It is unclear what state interest is served by the extension of rent control for those who do not have an economic disadvantage." The fact that he concentrated on the rent control issue and did not acknowledge any of the other totally abusive and irrational aspects of the current government codes, or the negative financial impacts on local governments from the many outrageous park owner legal attacks, clearly indicates a primary source of the influence on his decision. He also totally ignored the emotionally destructive aspects of the current threats of conversion on the elderly. Bottom line, the governor oversimplified and took a political easy-out on a controversial (and rather complicated) issue that affects a fairly large number of voters, but only a limited segment of his total constituents. He asked the legislature to "find a solution that provides true balance for all the stakeholders involved in mobilehome issues." To be truly sincere, he should have suggested a solution or at least some guidelines to overcome the impasse that has raged on for many years--and that will probably continue. A possible unintended result of his, and/or his advisors', apparent lack of attention to issues other than rent control, may have set the stage for a possible division of mobilehome residents based primarily on their economic status. This would be a shame considering the many other problems with owner-initiated conversions that negatively impact all residents, regardless of income level. Previous News Items on AB 1542: -- AB 1542 (Evans) passed the Senate Floor vote on Tuesday, September 11, 2007. If the governor makes it law, it will allow local governments to control the conversions by park owners of mobilehome parks to condominiums. For more info -click here- -- AB 1542, Mobilehome Park Conversions, Review an open letter to the legislators. -click here- -- Get the latest Sacramento update on AB 1542. -click here- ☼ The PSVE park owner has submitted a letter of intent to sue the City of Palm Springs and a claim for damages resulting from the denial of the tentative map for conversion to resident ownership pursuant to State Government Code Section 66427.5. On August 15,2007, the park owner's attorney filed the letter that includes a claim against the city for a "sum in excess of $23,900,000." The claim for damages is for, "among other		things, the loss in the fair market value of PSV 's mobile home park and loss of income." It is likely the letter was filed to comply with the deadline for legal action and to preserve the ability to process the conversion under the provisions of the present code, rather than come under any new laws, such as Assembly Bill 1542. ☼ Review a commentary on the Palm Springs City Council's final decision in the PSVE conversion and related background information click here. ☼ Probably the most comprehensive attempt to protect mobilehome park residents has been undertaken by the County of Sana Cruz. The text of the agenda for the public hearing held on August 1, 2007 includes the background, the proposed ordinance and the legal opinion submitted by the park owner's counsel. This document is likely the best analysis of the current conversion situation in California and it applies directly to the PSVE conversion. The document can be accessed in the Research Sources section along with theaudio recording of the hearing. This action taken in Santa Cruz County will very likely be the premier test case for resident protections in owner conversions and is certainly worth a good study. Two newspaper articles are also included under News Items and Articles in the Research Sources section. ☼ The PSVE conversion was denied by unanimous vote at the City Council Hearing held on June 20, 2007. Prior to the hearing, the applicant requested a continuation of the hearing which was also denied. Resident turnout was very good and a good number of speakers spoke on our behalf, although they were limited to 3-minute presentations. The Desert Sun newspaper quoted Jon Rodrigue, of the Loftin Firm, "We are disappointed, but not surprised," Rodrigue said. "We'll have to work with our client to determine the next step." -more- ☼ A recent article in the Palo Alto Daily News offers insight into activities at the City of Palo Alto and at the state legislature to roll back conversion jurisdiction to local government. Commenting on the article, Gus Colgain, President of the California Mobilehome Resource and Action Association (CMRAA), recently countered Richard Close's comment that the new legislation will not pass, with the following, "Even though we are almost 100% sure that the majority of the Bills we support this session will pass, we cannot afford to let down our guard or become complacent." -more- ☼ The legislative debate on conversions was held by the California State Senate Select Committee Informational Hearing - February 28, 2007: "Conversion of Mobilehome Parks to Subdivisions or Condominiums." Additional hearings are being held to debate and vote on two specific bills (SB 900 and AB 1532) recently introduced to significantly modify the conversion code. -more- To access bills, click here. The hearing is timely and informative, and is available on DVD, which can ordered for $5, plus $5 shipping, at (916) 651-1531. Q&A/Fact Sheet: Check local data and review The Loftin Firm's answers to park residents' questions. Indian Springs MHP Conversion: Check out the issues at the Indian Springs Mobile Home Park in Palm Desert. What can we learn from their experience? -more- Meetings: PSVE HOA meeting dates and View City of Palm Springs meetings.