PREVIOUSLY

A lawyer representing the owners of the Royal Crest Mobile Home park said in a lengthy letter sent to the Fortuna City Council that the upcoming moratorium on mobile home lot rent increases was unnecessary and could lead to “costly and unwanted” litigation.

The attorney, Anthony Rodriguez, said that a rent increase planned for January 1, 2026 was already tied to the Consumer Price Index at 2.49%. Both advocates for the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) and the owners have agreed that any future raises in rent will be tied to the CPI, though the Save Our Seniors prefer that lot rents only go up 75% of the CPI. 

The moratorium would stop the owners from implementing that January increase unless the RSO is adopted before then. 

Rodriguez also said that the owners have “promised” not to raise the rent again until January 2027, and threatened to ditch a rent credit program for their residents if the moratorium is passed on Monday. 

But one of the main issues facing the park, says Rodriguez, is that the park’s operating costs have increased about 89% since 2013, while the CPI has only increased 37%. He also claims that the owners have invested almost $900,000 into the park’s infrastructure and cited a court case (Sierra Lake Reserve v. City of Rockland) that says that park owners are entitled to make a fair return on their investments. 

“I can assure the Council that these are issues that can result in litigation lasting many years, resulting in unwanted stress and expense for all concerned,” Rodriguez said. “…If the parties are willing to agree to a long-term plan regarding rent increases at Royal Crest, my clients are willing to waive their right to pursue litigation in each of these issues.”