(SACRAMENTO, CA)  Assemblymember Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa), Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, is pleased to announce that she has been named “Legislator of the Year” by the Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners League (GSMOL), an association of mobile home residents across California.

“This is a true honor for me,” said Evans.  “We need to protect mobile homes because they provide valuable affordable housing to our working families and seniors.  I’ll keep fighting the good fight.”

Evans was honored for her authorship of Assembly Bill (AB) 1542 last year, which was vetoed by the Governor.  This legislation would have closed a loophole in current law allowing mobile home park owners to subdivide and convert mobile home parks into condominiums, to avoid local rent control, and to potentially make huge profits in the process.  It would have also provided local governments with rent control ordinances the opportunity to review and approve applications to convert mobile home parks.

“There is no greater threat to mobile home owners than the condo conversion of mobile home parks,” said Tim Sheahan, President of GSMOL.  “Assemblymember Evans has a thorough grasp of this issue and authored a bill that was strongly opposed by park owners and other landlord groups.  She earned recognition as our ‘Legislator of the Year’ for her efforts to protect mobile home owners and to preserve affordable housing in California.”

As “Legislator of the Year,” Evans received a plaque from GSMOL featuring two real boxing gloves.  She proudly keeps the award in her office at the State Capitol.  (See attached photo of Evans receiving the plaque from Maurice Priest, Corporate Counsel for GSMOL).

“I’ve never fought so hard to get a bill out of the Legislature,” said Evans.  “It was a true labor of love.  Mobile home residents deserve a lot of credit for helping me convince other legislators to support this bill.  I hope the Governor sees things our way this year.  We have to keep the pressure on!”

Current law allows a mobile home park to be subdivided into residential ownership.  But there are no safeguards for local governments to ensure that conversions serve the public interest.  If one parcel in a mobile home park is sold, the phase-out of rent control begins for the remaining park residents except for low-income tenants.  After 4 years spaces not rented to low-income tenants at the time of conversion can be rented at market rate.  This means that a space rented for $600/month today could cost $1,000 to $1,500 in just a few years.

There are 40 pending mobile home park conversions in varying locations across California.  Several cities and counties adopted moratoriums to give the State Legislature time to act on AB 1542.

AB 1542 was sponsored by the City of Santa Rosa, the County of Sonoma, and the League of Cities.  Along with GSMOL, it was supported by the California State Association of Counties, the Sonoma Housing Advocacy Group, the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, and the Building and Construction Trades Council of California.

Further information about AB 1542 is available online at http://www.leginfo.ca.gov.  Further information about GSMOL is available online at http://www.gsmol.org.