The San Jose City Council has voted to delay a proposed 10% space rent increase for mobile home parks, following concerns about transparency and community involvement in the policy-making process. The decision was made during a council meeting where officials agreed to engage in further discussions with residents and park owners before moving forward.
The issue is significant because mobile homes represent some of the last naturally affordable housing options in San Jose. The city has more than 10,000 mobile home spaces across 58 parks, with rents at San Jose Verde Mobile Home Park ranging from $800 to $1,650 per month. Many residents and advocates say that increasing rents could make these homes unaffordable for working-class families.
During the meeting, dozens of residents spoke against the proposed rent hike. Fred Gomez, a mortgage broker, said the increase would price out many working-class people who already struggle to qualify for loans. “The mobile home buyers are the working class. The city needs to protect (mobile homes) because it’s less than 1% of the overall housing within the city of San Jose (…) Park owners are multimillionaires. They just want to line their profits by making an extra $2 (million) or $3 million,” Gomez told San José Spotlight.
Concerns were also raised about how the policy was developed. Internal emails revealed that Housing Department staff consulted with Ryan Jasinsky, property manager for Brandenburg, Staedler & Moore—which owns eight local parks—before making the proposal public. Commissioner Daniel Finn said he felt betrayed by not being included earlier in discussions: “What I feel is betrayed,” Finn told San José Spotlight.
Other commissioners echoed these concerns about transparency and inclusivity. Chair Ruben Navarro said, “This raises a lot of transparency issues (…) (Soliván) could have asked for my input but he didn’t. He should have let the whole commission know that he was working with Ryan on the proposed language changes to the (policy) and he should have absolutely invited the mobile home residents’ representative Commissioner (Finn) to work on the draft as well.” Martha O’Connell, regional manager for Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners League and former commissioner, questioned Housing Director Erik Soliván’s objectivity: “These proposals are nothing but a wish list for the park owners,” O’Connell told San José Spotlight.
The council has directed staff to analyze the proposed rent increase further and return with recommendations in the fall. Community meetings will be held with both residents and park owners in hopes of reaching a mutual agreement.
