As Rancho La Paz converts from a senior-only to an all-ages mobile home park, seniors are faced with the possibility of losing their rental assistance, which is essential for many fixed-income seniors, after the park owner, John Saunders, raised rents on the land space by 40 to 60%. At the February 20 city council meeting, Sunaya Thomas presented a proposal to amend the existing tenant-based rental assistance program to address diverse housing needs within the mobile home community and assist individuals and families facing financial challenges in meeting rental obligations.

This proposal is based on a request by council members and the community regarding Rancho La Paz. The direction was for staff to explore options instead of the moratorium to provide resources and stretch them farther when such instances occur. The city staff recommended changing the park to an all ages with a priority for seniors. Some criteria must be followed per the HUD guidelines and requirements, including:

• age,
• home ownership status,
• income eligibility (the household must have a low income not exceeding 50% of the median income of the area). HUD determines family size and income level.

There is an exclusion criteria and high rent burdens. Those same rules and regulations would still apply. Assistance would be prioritized for those paying over 50% of their monthly income for rent and the moderate rent burden assisting seniors, but also all ages who are paying more than 30% of their monthly income per the program requirements.

“This is a minor change to the program, but we believe this will achieve the goal of trying to reach a little bit farther,” said Thomas.

“I just want to clarify because it was my understanding that the idea was actually to make sure that the subsidy would continue to be provided,” said Councilmember Dr Ahmad Zahra.

Mayor Nicholas Dunlap asked, “Would the individuals, the seniors, currently receiving our program assistance still qualify now based on your interpretation?”

Thomas responded, “The existing guidelines are specific to seniors at senior-only mobile home parks. We need to make this modification to our existing guidelines and the program. If we want to serve the seniors in those parks, we need to loosen up the language that we have now.”

Todd Harrison, the elected representative for Rancho La Paz Home Owners Association, said, “Keeping the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program (TBRA) alive for the Fullerton residents of Rancho La Paz is very much needed for all. Few have survived and still benefit from the program. Even with the attempts to hold back Saunders’s predation, many have been starved out of their homes, broken by fear, stress, or just giving up and dying for lack of hope. The seniors of the other senior community, Rancho Fullerton, face the same situation. The legacy owner of Rancho Fullerton Mobile Home Park seems to be reading Saunder’s Playbook, and relations with tenant homeowners are increasingly tense. Legal action is already happening in one case. Do not let history repeat itself and have another park’s homeowners end up on the street. The TBRA alone is not enough help but is a meaningful start.”

The program to assist tenants of all ages with priority to seniors (age 62 and above based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development definition of a senior) was amended unanimously (the Mayor Pro Tem Fred Jung was absent).

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