Clear and thorough reporting with essential context. I look forward to reading Ms. Martin's byline going forward.

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As much fun as I had during the MOU stakeholder process, I'm glad Council took this step forward.
I will be happy to focus more on improving protections for Park Residents instead of trying to replicate the hard fought protections we attained in the MHRSO through more complicated private accords.
Thanks to all the Mobile Home residents who make up the Mountain View Mobile Home Alliance who have been putting in the work to defend our community and keep the stock of Senior and Disabled friendly affordable housing.

So many of the misconceptions about the MOU arose out of the complex drafting of MOU accords. Many mobile home residents misunderstood the impact they could have had because they don't understand legal language - and they shouldn't have to. I think that might be why some residents are unhappy with the Mountain View Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Ordinance, which was designed to protect us from much more than space rent.

Most of us who are long term mobile home residents became accustomed to 1-3% increases in space rent until recent years, and are shocked by this year's 5% increase, which is the ceiling defined by the MHRSO. But because this year CPI skyrocketed to 8.6%, without MHRSO we would be paying much more.

Thanks to a dedicated and hard-working City Council and City staff, who have been extraordinarily helpful to us in the last couple of years, we finally have an ordinance that protects us not only from unreasonable space rent increases, but vacancy control and pass-throughs, as well as other misunderstood and unforeseen expenses. Mountain View Mobile Home Alliance committee members are much relieved that the MOU "exemption" is now history. It caused confusion and division among mobile home residents, because it was so hard to understand - perhaps by design.

Most Mountain View mobile home residents look only at the space rent increase, and don't look at conditions that might be imposed by vacancy control and pass-throughs, which would have much greater impact on our finances. Most residents don't even know what those are.

These topics are often even hard for reporters to understand, but Malea Martin did a great job on this article. It's thorough, comprehensive, and well-written. Thanks much, Malea, and welcome to the Voice and our community!

I am looking forward to the mobile homes getting proper treatment, meaning that since the CSFRA required a rent rollback as of December 2016 under section , the idea that the mobile home residents are also entitled to that treatment under the law regarding equal protection. This may result in the owners now having to retroactively reduce rents and only increase the back rents according to the annual rent increases based on CPI. THe section of the CSFRA states:

Section 1702. - Definitions.

Unless further defined elsewhere in this Article, the following words or phrases as used in this Article shall have the following meanings:

(b)Base Rent. The Base Rent is the reference point from which the lawful Rent shall be determined and adjusted in accordance with this Article.

(1)Tenancies commencing on or before October 19, 2015. The Base Rent for tenancies that commenced on or before October 19, 2015 shall be the Rent in effect on October 19, 2015.

(2)Tenancies commencing after October 19, 2015. The Base Rent for tenancies that commenced after October 19, 2015 shall be the initial rental rate charged upon initial occupancy, provided that amount is not a violation of this Article or any provision of state law. The term "initial rental rate" means only the amount of Rent actually paid by the Tenant for the initial term of the tenancy.

If the city does not employ this, there will be good cause for these residents to arrange a case in court.